Pune: OBC activists, who opposed Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s agitation, are now divided over the GR issued by the state on Tuesday. National OBC Federation president Babanrao Taywade said it will not affect the OBC quota.Taywade, who headed the chain hunger strike in Nagpur against Jarange’s agitation, said govt has not accepted Jarange’s demand of reservation to the entire Maratha community through the OBC quota.
“The GR simply mentions the process of how to get a Kunbi certificate for applicants who have supporting documents as per the Hyderabad Gazette. It will not impact the existing OBC quota adversely.” Hake said he did not agree with Taywade’s stand. “The GR is going to affect the OBC quota,” he added.Some activists are planning to approach the court to challenge the GR. OBC activist and lawyer Mangesh Sasane told TOI, “The GR is unconstitutional, and it allows encroachment of the Maratha community in the OBC quota. If the implementation is rolled out, the representation of OBCs in education, jobs, and politics will reduce. We will challenge it in court.”Hake, Sasane and other OBC members, protested outside Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune, where they tore up copies of the GR on Wednesday. Hake claimed that the state govt has played with the words in the GR to accommodate ineligible Maratha community members under the OBC quota.“Instead of mentioning ‘sage-soyare’ (blood relatives), it has mentioned only relatives in the GR, which will allow even non-eligible Marathas to get Kunbi certificates and avail themselves of reservation benefits under the OBC quota. The GR says that the process to obtain Kunbi certificates would be simplified. Govt cannot favour one community to get a caste certificate when the process for every community is the same. We will go to court and protest on the streets,” Hake added.
