Padalkar Criticises Govt for Reservation to Marathas as 'Kunbis', Says Move Will Lead to Unrest

BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar, while objecting to the Maharashtra government’s latest decision of giving OBC certificates to the Maratha community, said the move was against OBCs as well as SCs and STs.

Speaking at an OBC Elgar Melawa in Ahmednagar on the weekend, Padalkar appealed to both the communities to come together and fight for justice.

“The government’s notification regarding Maratha community is not only against OBCs but also against SC and SC communities. The government said Marathas in Marathwada would get Kunbi certificates as per the new notification, which extended the quota to “Sage-Soyare” (relatives from the family tree). However, in Maharashtra, Ramoshi-Berad and Bedar communities are relatives and marry each other. Bedars get SC certificate but Ramoshi-Berad do not get it despite being relatives,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil, who led a protest to Mumbai last month demanding reservation for the community, he said: “He was fasting for reservation. The protesters were stopped at Navi Mumbai and chief minister Eknath Shinde broke Jarange’s indefinite fast and accepted all of his demands.”

The government’s notification regarding Maratha reservation has met with opposition from OBCs as they fear that their share of 27 per cent quota would get disturbed if Marathas get reservation as ‘Kunbis’ from the OBC quota. There are rallies being held across the state to oppose the government move.

The BJP leader said that by bringing a notification in favour of the Maratha community, the government has not only disrupted OBC quota but also reservation policy for SC and ST communities. He also warned the government that it would have a long-term impact on the government’s reservation policy and lead to unrest in other communities.

In another example, Padalkar said there is a sub-community in Dhangars called ‘Khatik Dhangar’ which gets SC certificate. “These Khatik Dhangars marry with other Dhangar members. Does that mean all the Dhangars would get SC certificate?” he asked.