By Sampurna Majumder
On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared that Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota will not get affected while offering reservations to the Maratha community. Additionally he stated that not all Marathas will be given the Kunbi caste certificate, despite Manoj Jarange Patil, a quota activist proposing on Monday, that the state government starting issuing Kunbi Certificate by September 17.
Fadnavis in Purandar while attending the Krantiveer Umaji Naik birth anniversary event clearly stated that the government won’t be giving any blanket Kunbi Certificates to the maratha unless and until any person with the reservation quota record has been found.
In Maharashtra, Kunbi certificate is categorized as an OBC. After the government announced the creation of a commission to offer Kunbi Certificates to Maratha people who can proof their historical identity of Kunbi ancestry, Jarange broke his five-day fast for the Maratha quota in Mumbai on September 2.
Last week, the government had a hectic discussion about the maratha quota crisis following issuing a resolution. The Hyderabad Gazette, issued by the then-Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 contains all the Marathwada region’s records.
The Nizam ruled Marathwada until 1948. Following that, Fadnavis said that the reservation will be given to only those whose reservation records are found. He also added saying, “We pledged our loyalty to the OBC committees and we will try our best to fulfill their demands.”
The progress of the OBC communities cannot be guaranteed until they are allowed into the mainstream of public life. “There should be no doubt about their development. We are fully committed to ensuring the advancement of the OBC communities. All of their demands will be addressed.” – Fadnavis added.
“The government should start issuing Kunbi certificates to all Marathas in Marathwada based on the records found in the Hyderabad gazette before September 17,” Jarange Patil stated at a press conference on Monday in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. We will be required to make a firm decision if this fails to occur.
Jarange Patil warned the government saying if any attempts are made to stop the distribution of the certificates, then the government has to deal with them.
No excuses will be entertained and no political leader should influence the government in any decision making. J Patil said that they have formed the GR after painstaking efforts. The government has accepted the GR, and now it should not go back on its word. It is a strong GR which has ensured that all Marathas will be in the OBC category.