By | Kunvarchand Mandle
Nanded: The Maharashtra government’s recent Government Resolution (GR) granting Maratha community members Kunbi caste certificates based on Hyderabad Gazetteer records has sparked strong opposition from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community across the state. After the government accepted the demands of Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil and issued the GR, OBC organizations accused the government of “sacrificing OBC rights” to accommodate Maratha quota demands.
In Nanded’s Bhokar Tehsil, hundreds of OBC community members staged a fierce protest, burning copies of the GR and raising slogans against the state government. They alleged that the decision would dilute existing OBC reservations and warned that if the government failed to protect OBC interests, a massive statewide agitation would be launched.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the new GR only applies to Maratha individuals who can prove their Kunbi lineage through Hyderabad Gazetteer records, and no one else from the Maratha community would be included under OBC quotas. Revenue Minister Chandrakant Bawankule also reiterated that the government is committed to granting reservation to Marathas but “not at the cost of OBC quotas.”
However, senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal slammed the GR as “illegal and unconstitutional,” boycotting the state cabinet meeting in protest. Professor Laxman Hake, another prominent OBC activist, called the move a direct attack on OBC rights and warned that all OBC organizations would soon launch a statewide agitation. Adding to the tensions, MoS Pankaj Bhoyar, who assured OBC leaders of the government’s commitment to protect their reservation, received online threats from certain groups, reflecting the intensity of the ongoing dispute.
Meanwhile, Manoj Jarange Patil ended his five-day hunger strike after the government issued the GR, calling it a “victory for Maratha rights.” However, the Bombay High Court has asked Patil and other protest organizers to file affidavits within four weeks, explaining the damage caused to public property during the protests. Political reactions remain divided as the government attempts to maintain a delicate balance between Maratha demands and OBC rights, while both communities prepare for further legal and political battles in the coming days.
