LoP Vijay Wadettiwar, who is also the OBC face of the Congress in Maharashtra, has objected to the demand of Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil to give ‘Kunbi’ caste certificate to all Marathas in the state, calling it “injustice” to the 372 sub-castes that fall under the OBC category.
“For any caste to get reservation under OBC quota, they should be economically and socially backward. There is a process which determines this. The government cannot just declare it just because a few people are asking for it. There is the backward commission which conducts surveys. Some terms and conditions should be fulfilled to get that caste certificate. One person sits on fast and makes some unreasonable demands and the government agrees to the same has never happened in the past,” said Wadettiwar.
Jarange had demanded that OBCs in the Marathwada region should be given ‘Kunbi’ caste certificates but now, he wants all Marathas to also get ‘Kunbi’ certificates. There are 372 castes which fall under the OBC category.
According to Wadettiwar, the OBC community is scared that if Marathas get OBC status, the former will lose their rights.
“Earlier they said that a survey was conducted of some 1.72 crore people of which some 11,500 were found to be OBC. Now, this government is increasing the number of such people to one lakh. The survey was based on available documents of the Nizam-era but in reality now, if we see these figures, it will further increase to some two crore. In such a scenario, where will OBCs go?”
Wadettiwar also clarified that the OBC community is not against Maratha reservation but they are objecting to Marathas getting reservation from OBC quota.
“Why is Jarange troubling our community? Why do they want to snatch our community’s rights? If they want reservation, they should get it separately. There is a 50 per cent reservation cap, the remaining 50 per cent is open. Marathas can get benefits under the EWS category. Why do they need reservation under the OBC category? It is clear that Jarange wants to get political mileage from this move. If Marathas get OBC status then the small castes which fall under OBC will lose their chance to contest local body elections too as Marathas will stake claim to that too.”
The leader also expressed disappointment with the Shinde Committee which has been formed to look into the issue as all members are Marathas. “This committee is illegitimate. In the state, there is the backward commission which certifies and validates castes. Anyone who has evidence that they are OBCs should approach this commission with proof and demand an OBC caste certificate. Shinde committee lacks representation of all castes and I request the government to reform this committee,” he said.
Wadettiwar added: “This government should have a plan about how to give reservation to the Maratha community. Chief minister Eknath Shinde and both the deputy chief ministers are saying they want to give reservation to this caste. Who has stopped them?” He further requested Maratha leaders to visit districts like Washim, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur to see the situation of OBCs there and then take a decision on being included in the quota cap.
The LoP said BJP is not in favour of caste census but if it happens in the state, the issue of reservation will be resolved. “In Maharashtra, my assumption is that OBC numbers will be approximately 65 per cent,” he added.
“Why is this state government not filing an affidavit about the OBC issue in the high court when someone has approached the court to cancel the reservation? Why does the court have to send them continuous reminders? Empirical data is there and if government wants, it can complete this caste census within one month. They should be willing to safeguard OBCs and their rights. By not filing an affidavit, they are just ignoring this issue.”
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