VBA chief launches yatra to 'save' OBC quota, seek cancellation of 'bogus' Kunbi certificates

Mumbai, Jul 25 (PTI) Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Thursday embarked on a yatra aimed at "saving" reservation of the Other Backward Classes and seeking scrapping of 55 lakh "bogus" Kunbi caste certificates amid the ongoing agitation by Marathas for quota in jobs and education under the OBC category.

The 'Aarakshan Bachao Yatra' commenced after paying respect to Dr B R Ambedkar at his memorial Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, central Mumbai.

The yatra led by Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of B R Ambedkar, will culminate at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra, around 370km from Mumbai, on August 7, Siddharth Mokale, state vice-president of the VBA, said.

"The yatra has been undertaken to save reservation of the OBCs and demand scrapping of 55 lakh bogus Kunbi caste certificates issued in the last one year," Mokale said.

He was referring to the Kunbi certificates issued by government authorities to Marathas post the quota agitation launched by activist Manoj Jarange.

Marathas getting Kunbi certificates will be eligible for quota benefits under the OBCs category in government jobs and education. The agrarian Kunbi community gets quota benefits under the Other Backward Classes category.

VBA leader Mokale said the purpose of the yatra is to send 100 OBC MLAs to the Maharashtra assembly, whose polls are due in October, besides demanding doubling of scholarships given to SCs/ STs.

The yatra is expected to stop at Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune and Naigaon in Satara district, the birthplace of social reformer Savitribai Phule.

The VBA was initially a member of the opposition INDIA alliance, but parted ways with it over seat-sharing arrangement and contested the recent Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra independently. PTI PR RSY