MUMBAI: Rumblings appeared in the governing Mahayuti alliance Wednesday on the approach taken to end the Maratha quota agitation in Mumbai, with NCP cabinet minister and OBC politician Chhagan Bhujbal boycotting the Maharashtra cabinet meeting in the wake of rising unrest in the community over the govt resolution (GR) issued Tuesday to quell activist Manoj Jarange’s protest. In response to the OBC backlash in different parts of the state, the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided to set up a sub-committee on OBC issues. May approach HC or SC, says Bhujbal To be headed by BJP neta and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the new sub-committee on OBC issues has four members from BJP and two each from Shiv Sena and NCP, including OBC politician Chhagan Bhujbal. Bhujbal told reporters, “Certain words in the GR have caused doubts among OBC groups. I am speaking to legal experts and lawyers. If required, we will go to the HC or SC in a few days.” He asked OBC groups not to hold public protests, but to be patient. Jarange said, “The fact that Bhujbal is upset about GR means it is strong. Some people were not consulted, that is why they are angry.”Bhujbal’s stand puts him at odds with his own party, NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar, which has a mainly Maratha base. The GR mandates the setting up of village-level committees for Marathas to apply for Kunbi certificates if their ancestors are named in the Hyderabad gazette. It states that the committees will also consider affidavits or testimonies from relatives, clan members or villagers who already possess certificates. Bhujbal told TOI, “This is wrong. First of all, a committee has no right to change anyone’s caste. Secondly, the GR speaks of changing the caste of Marathas to Kunbi. At points, it does not say ‘eligible Marathas’. And how can an affidavit by someone in the village or clan be considered proof? What if people are paid to give an affidavit?”
