No OBC leader unhappy with Maratha quota GR, it was issued after talks with cabinet members: BJP MLC

Mumbai, Sep 3 (PTI) BJP MLC Parinay Fuke on Wednesday said the Devendra Fadnavis-led dispensation issued the GR on Maratha quota after taking all members of the cabinet into confidence, and claimed that no OBC leader was disappointed with it.

Nobody would move court against the government resolution (GR), he expressed confidence, saying legal experts maintained that the existing Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota would remain unaffected.

The government on Tuesday announced the formation of a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an OBC in the state.

It made this announcement in the GR and it followed hectic talks between state ministers and activist Manoj Jarange, who was on a hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan to demand OBC reservation for Marathas. He ended his five-day-old fast on Tuesday evening.

Talking to reporters, Fuke said, "I do not think anyone will move the court against the government resolution issued yesterday." "The state government has tried to give justice to Jarange's demands through the GR. It was issued after taking all cabinet members into confidence. Even our legal experts maintained that the existing OBC quota would remain untouched," he said.

Asked if state minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal was upset with the new GR, Fuke said, "Bhujbal may be upset due to his department-related issues or some personal reasons. He has not yet clarified his reasons behind his boycott of the cabinet meeting scheduled today." "No OBC leader is disappointed with the new resolution...There may be some issues related to Bhujbal's ministry or some personal reasons behind his actions," he claimed.

Jarange has been long demanding that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis.

The Kunbi is a traditional farming community in the state and they have been included in the list of OBC category in the state in order to make them eligible for government reservations in jobs and education.

The Hyderabad gazetteer or gazette refers to an order issued by the then-Nizam government of Hyderabad, which included parts of the present-day Marathwada region in central Maharashtra. The gazetteer classifies certain communities, including some Maratha community groups, in the erstwhile Hyderabad State as Kunbis, who have been included in the OBC category in Maharashtra.

Implementation of the Hyderabad gazetteer will effectively grant Kunbi status to Marathas of the Marathwada region, making them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education. PTI ND NP