Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussed the Maratha reservation issue with Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday for an hour at the Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai, even as Nagpur-based National OBC Federation president Dr Babanrao Taywade threatened a huge OBC march to Mumbai in 15 days, against Maratha reservation agitation leader Manoj Jarange’s attempt to get reservations for Marathas under the OBC Kunbi category.
The National OBC Federation organised a relay hunger strike at the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur on Saturday to thwart Jarange-Patil’s attempt to provide reservation to the Marathas by including them under the OBC Kunbi category.
Speaking to media persons in Nagpur on Saturday, National OBC Federation president Dr Babanrao Taywade said, “We are against the demand for giving Kunbi certificates outright. There should be no setback to the reservation of the OBC community. We will firmly present our demands to the government. Since there is a possibility of the Fadnavs government succumbing to pressure from Jarange-Patil, we have decided to go on a relay hunger strike, which will be followed by a hunger strike to death. If necessary, we will intensify our agitation by going to Mumbai and protesting there in 15 days”.
“Jarange-Patil has rejected the demand for separate reservation. He wants reservation for Marathas by including them under the OBC Kunbi category itself. The National OBC Federation is strongly opposed to the inclusion of Marathas under the OBC Kunbi category. There are already 350 castes in the OBC list. If the Maratha community is also included in the OBC list, then the OBCs will not get anything. It will be injustice to OBCs. We are not against giving reservation to the Maratha community. We will welcome it if the government gives Marathas separate reservation,” National OBC Federation President Dr Babanrao Taywade said.
Significantly, while replying to media persons who asked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief about his views on the Maratha quota agitation, Raj Thackeray said in Mumbai on Saturday, “Eknath Shinde can answer all these things. Ask him when he comes. why did he come back when he had gone to Navi Mumbai to resolve the issue?”
MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s statement caused a flutter especially after a video of a Maratha woman activist talking to media persons went viral where she claimed that “Shinde Saheb” (Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) “had made arrangements for our stay, sleep, food and drink”. The viral video also showed another woman stopping her from speaking any further and taking her aside.
Meanwhile, at a meeting between Union Minister Amit Shah and Eknath Shinde in Mumbai at Sahyadri Guest House on Saturday, various options were discussed to resolve the issue of Maratha reservation through dialogue between the Fadnavis government and the Maratha protesters, sources said. Shah also met BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde and discussed the Maratha reservation issue including the current status of the Maratha agitation, police arrangements and demands made by Maratha protesters.
In a related development, the Maharashtra state government’s Maratha Reservation Sub-Committee formed a Justice Shinde Committee under the leadership of retired Justice Shinde on Saturday to find Kunbi and evaluate caste records. Justice Shinde Committee members went to Azad Maidan on Saturday and met Manoj Jarange-Patil, requesting him for some time to implement his demands, but Jarange-Patil has stated that he will not give “even a minute” of time to implement the recommendations of gazettes of Hyderabad and Satara.
“The Shinde Committee has studied this a lot. According to the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, the Marathas of Marathwada are Kunbis. There is no dispute about that. We will give 15 to 20 days to implement the gazette recommendations of Aundh and Bombay, but we will not give even a minute to implement the gazette recommendations of Hyderabad and Satara. We already gave 13 months of time. If nothing happens by next Saturday and Sunday, not a single Maratha child will stay at home. Marathas from all over Maharashtra will not be seen in their homes There are still six or seven days left,” Jarange-Patil said, adding that Marathas in Marathwada should be declared as Kunbi and given caste certificates from Sunday (tomorrow) itself.