OBC community's concerns over reservation will not be ignored: Minister Pankaja Munde

Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde on Wednesday said the state government will not ignore the concerns expressed by the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) community over the Maratha reservation issue.

The BJP leader was speaking after attending the first meeting of the cabinet sub-committee formed last week to expedite welfare measures for the OBCs and resolve issues related to reservation. The committee is headed by minister and BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule.

There has been restlessness among the OBCs after the state Social Justice and Special Assistance Department issued the government resolution (GR) on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer, which will allow eligible members of the Maratha community to apply for Kunbi caste certificates. This will enable them to claim quota under the OBC category after certificates are issued.

The GR was issued after the state cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation successfully persuaded activist Manoj Jarange to withdraw his hunger strike in Mumbai on September 2.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Munde said, "Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has always taken decisions that protect the interests of the OBC community in the state. We had a detailed discussion about the status of OBCs in Maharashtra. No concerns of the OBCs will be ignored." The state has nearly 350 castes categorised as OBCs, she said, adding that various schemes, both direct and indirect benefit programmes, and allocation of funds for the community were discussed during the meeting.

Ministers Chhagan Bhujbal, Sanjay Rathod, Atul Save, Dattatray Bharne and Gulabrao Patil were among those present at the meeting.

The panel was formed after Jarange launched a state-wide agitation demanding Maratha reservation under the OBC category.

In response, the state issued orders to prepare and publish various gazetteers, including those of Hyderabad, Satara and other regions, to review historical records and provide clarity on the social and educational status of Maratha and OBC communities. The exercise is intended to support the government's position in any legal or administrative review of reservation policies.

Bhujbal has been opposing the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category, insisting that the quota available to backward classes should not be diluted. He, however, insisted on giving them a separate quota instead of including them into OBCs.

An OBC organisation led by Bhujbal on Tuesday urged the state government to withdraw or suitably modify its GR for the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to members of the Maratha community. It also demanded that the government ensure that the GR does not dilute the OBC quotas covering more than 350 communities in the state.