To counter Maratha quota onslaught, OBC leaders to stage rally in Jalna

OBC leaders to stage rally in Maratha quota activist's stronghold to counter him. Rally to be attended by influential leaders from across party lines. OBC leader Prakash Shendge says rally will be "historic" & country will see OBC camps coming together. Jarange Patil's demand of OBC certificates for Marathas by Dec 24 has caused friction. OBCs threaten to outvote 160 Maratha MLAs if they try to outvote Chhagan Bhujbal. Raj Thackeray questions timing of Maratha quota agitation ahead of 2024 elections.

In a bid to counter Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, leaders from the other backward class (OBC) communities will be staging a massive rally in Mr. Jarange Patil’s stronghold of Ambad tehsil in Jalna district.

The rally is likely to see the attendance of several influential OBC leaders cutting across party lines, including Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar group), Congress leader and Maharashtra Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar as well as BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde among others.

Former legislator and OBC leader Prakash Shendge said the rally would be “historic” and that the country would see the fragmented OBC camps coming together.

“The Maratha quota agitation under Jarange Patil has gone out of hand. Violence had erupted during his second hunger strike, with homes of OBC MLAs homes being torched, offices and other establishments belonging to OBC members being vandalised and gutted. A Manipur-like situation will soon prevail in Maharashtra if he [Mr. Jarange Patil] is not reined in,” Mr. Shendge said.

The intense friction between the Marathas and the OBC communities has been kindled by Mr. Jarange Patil’s two hunger fasts, the second of which concluded early this month with the Eknath Shinde government caving in by agreeing to the activist’s demand of ensuring that Marathas be given OBC certificates by December 24. 

Several OBC leaders like Mr. Bhujbal and Mr. Wadettiwar have spoken out against Mr. Jarange Patil’s aggressiveness and intransigent behaviour, forcing the government to declare blanket reservation for the Marathas by issuing them with OBC certificates declaring them as being Kunbi OBC members.

“Jarange Patil’s logic is that as the Marathas were once farmers, and given that Kunbi farmers have been inducted under the OBC category, therefore all Marathas be declared Kunbi OBCs. By these lights, the entire country, where almost everyone did farming at one time or the other, should be declared as OBCs. His logic is absurd. Until a caste survey is done, no one should be given Kunbi OBC certificates,” Mr. Shendge said.