With Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil launching his massive outreach campaign by touring various parts of Maharashtra, the OBC communities and their leadership is looking at Chhagan Bhujbal to raise a banner of rebellion in the state cabinet.
The moot question however is will Bhujbal take the plunge?
Bhujbal is, without a doubt, the tallest OBC leader in Maharashtra. He also has the backing of all OBC communities, unlike others who are leaders of their respective communities within the OBC cluster. But can Bhujbal throw away the cushy comforts of power to hit the street again for the cause of OBC unity? The answer is: unlikely. Bhujbal, instead, will keep building the pressure from within in order to make sure that Marathas do not get a blanket OBC Kunbi status.
Bhujbal made a very attacking speech at a huge rally of OBC communities at Ambad in Jalna on November 17. He hinted that Jarange Patil had made an escape on the day when police lathi-charged Maratha activists more than a month ago. Bhujbal then said it was NCP legislators Rohit Pawar and Rajesh Tope (both from Sharad Pawar faction) who brought Jarange Patil back.
Reacting to this, Rohit Pawar alleged that Bhujbal had read out a speech prepared by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and it was Fadnavis who was really calling shots.
Bhujbal, on Tuesday, responded by stating that nobody had ever dictated a speech to him in political life. "Not even Sharad Pawar saheb, I have always spoken my mind," he said.
Meanwhile, Jarange Patil has given a new deadline to Maharashtra government. He wants Maratha reservation by December 24. “If Marathas don't get reservation by that day, I will appeal to all my Maratha brothers and sisters to launch a chain fast agitation at village level so the pressure on government keeps increasing,” said Jarange Patil.
