The State Government’s GR, issued on September 2, allows Marathas, who can prove their Kunbi lineage through old records such as the Hyderabad gazetteer, to apply for Kunbi caste certificates
Mumbai:In a major announcement, Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday made it clear that the order issued by the State Government regarding the Maratha reservation is limited only to the Hyderabad Gazette.
Bawankule, who is also the chairman of the cabinet OBC sub-Committee, said, “Confusion is being created that injustice is being done to the OBC communities in Maharashtra by creating a ruckus against State Government’s decision. But the government order is limited only to the Hyderabad Gazette.”
The State Government’s GR, issued on September 2, allows Marathas, who can prove their Kunbi lineage through old records such as the Hyderabad gazetteer, to apply for Kunbi caste certificates. Following this, the Maharashtra government has also begun implementing the Gazette Resolution allowing Marathas who can prove Kunbi lineage to apply for OBC certificates.
However, OBC communities have strongly opposed the GR contending that granting Kunbi certificates to Marathas will effectively include them in the OBC category, reducing reservation benefits for existing OBC communities. The OBC communities led by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday also staged a large morcha in Nagpur demanding higher reservation, following the Telangana model.
During the morcha, Wadettiwar challenged the state government saying “If you have the will, increase the OBC quota to 42% like Telangana. Come what may, we will protect the OBC quota and will not allow it to be diluted.”
The Congress leader claimed that the state government’s move effectively gives Marathas ‘backdoor entry’ into the OBC quota. “This decision is unjust and discriminatory. We will fight it both legally and through street protests,” he said.
Commenting on it, Bawankule said, “The government, while issuing GR, has taken care that no person should be deprived of OBC reservation. It has made every effort to protect the interests of 353 castes of OBCs. The Mahayuti government is committed to protecting the rights of OBCs.”
In a setback to the OBCs, the Bombay High Court, last week, had refused to grant an interim stay on petitions filed by representatives of the Kunbi and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities challenging the State government’s decision to allow Marathas from Marathwada to obtain Kunbi caste certificates under the Hyderabad Gazette. The petitioners had requested the High Court to immediately stop the government from carrying out its September 2 GR.
