OBC activist Laxman Hake bats for BJP leader Pankaja Munde to be sent to Parliament

OBC activist Laxman Hake pushes for OBC leader Pankaja Munde to be sent to Parliament for reservation protection.

Other Backward Class (OBC) community activist Laxman Hake, who recently undertook a 10-day hunger strike to fight for the preservation of OBC reservation, is now gunning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde, a prominent OBC leader, to be sent to Parliament.

Speaking in Jalna on Wednesday, Mr. Hake said that had Ms. Munde won the recently concluded Lok Sabha contest from Beed, then she would have stood firm as a guardian of OBC reservation in Parliament.

“Had she won, we are sure she would have fought for and safeguarded OBC rights in Parliament. Her leadership is appealing. So, there is a strong sentiment among OBC youth who feel she should come forward and lead us,” said Mr. Hake, who received his discharge from a local hospital in Jalna where he was undergoing treatment after calling off hunger strike last week.

Also: Marathwada simmers as Jarange-Patil, Hake cross swords

The OBC activist who had launched hunger strike in protest against Maratha quota activist Manoj-Jarange-Patil’s demands that the Marathas get reservation under the OBC Kunbi category, has emerged as a counterweight to Mr. Jarange-Patil in the restive Marathwada region which is presently simmering in the long duel between the Maratha and OBC communities.

Mr. Hake’s agitation saw strong backing from several OBC leaders across the political spectrum, cutting across party lines: leaders from Ms. Munde, her cousin — Dhanajay Munde (Ajit Pawar-led NCP), Congressman Vijay Wadettiwar, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal had visited Mr. Hake and his associate, Navnath Waghmare, during their hunger strike.

Ms. Munde had narrowly lost to Bajrang Sonawane of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) in the Beed Lok Sabha contest in this year’s general election. Mr. Jarange-Patil’s Maratha quota agitation is said to have played a major factor in her loss.