Interview/ Chhagan Bhujbal, Maharashtra minister for food, civil supplies and consumer protection
CHHAGAN BHUJBAL, Maharashtra minister for food, civil supplies and consumer protection, is known as a firebrand leader. Even at 77, his fighting spirit has not diminished—and that became evident when he called a meeting of OBC leaders after the state government announced that Marathas in the Marathwada region can be recognised as Kunbis (an OBC caste) on the basis of the Hyderabad Gazetteer as the primary historical document.
As it could help Marathas get reservation in jobs and education, the decision upset OBC communities, a core vote bank of the BJP. They feel betrayed, Bhujbal told THE WEEK in an exclusive interview.
Soon after the announcement, Bhujbal wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying the government resolution (GR) on the matter was issued under pressure from the Maratha community, without it being tabled before the cabinet. Bhujbal demanded that the government decision be withdrawn.
According to Bhujbal, Marathas can be included both in the OBC quota as well as the SEBC (socially and educationally backward communities) quota, as per the 2024 SEBC Act that provides 10 per cent reservation to communities such as the Marathas.
“The GR also makes a departure from established procedure for caste verification and validity. Having two different procedures for the same class, that is the OBCs, amounts to arbitrary action and discrimination which has no connection to the common objective of verification and grant of caste certificate,” he said.
Edited excerpts from an interview.
Q/ You have written an eight-page letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, opposing the GR on Maratha reservation. Are you opposed to Maratha reservation?
A/ I am not opposed to Maratha reservation; I am opposed to their entry into the OBC quota. The GR was issued hurriedly and under tremendous pressure. It was not discussed in the cabinet, as is needed. A GR requires cabinet nod. Nobody was consulted.
There are 374 castes in the OBC category. It is not a caste; it is a class of 374 castes and this GR is backdoor entry of Marathas into the OBC category, when it has been clearly said in High Court and Supreme Court judgments that Kunbi and Marathas are different castes. SC judgments have clearly said that Marathas are not socially backward, and the reservation provision is only for those who are socially backward.
Q/ What is the feeling among OBCs after the government issued the GR?
A/ The OBCs are very upset. Already eight-nine persons have committed suicide because this GR was issued. Five petitions have been filed in the HC to challenge the GR on Maratha reservation.
Prior to 2019, there were demands for reservations from Marathas, Patels, Jats and Gurjars. To find a solution to that, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre introduced 10 per cent reservation under the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category. After this was implemented, the agitations in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana stopped, but Marathas did not stop when the fact was that in EWS alone, Maratha community got 8 per cent reservation.
Q/ How big is the Maratha community in Maharashtra in terms of its share in the state’s population. Some estimates say about 30 per cent.
A/ They claim that they are 30 per cent and more. So let us do some arithmetic. There are 54 per cent OBCs, 7 per cent scheduled tribes, 13 per cent scheduled caste, and 3 per cent Brahmins. The total comes to 77 per cent. The remaining 23 per cent includes Jains, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. Any single large community in all of our states, they are not more than 17-18 per cent…. But they claim to be more than 30 per cent. Listen: they are not that big; they are hardly 16-17 per cent. Of this, nearly 6-7 per cent are already Kunbis, because Marathas in Vidarbha have already received the Kunbi status long ago. So only 9-10 per cent remain—yet they make such noise.
Q/ What about the findings of Justice Sandeep Shinde committee (set up to expedite the process of granting reservation to the Maratha community)?
A/ The Shinde committee has got too many extensions already. It went to Telangana to find historical records; they have checked lakhs of documents. On the basis of this research, already 2.4 lakh Kunbi certificates have been issued. So their work is over. So why the extension now? This means the only purpose is to make the remaining Marathas as Kunbis. So now they are talking about Kunbi relations. Suppose I am a Mali (an OBC caste), and my wife is a Brahmin and you are her brother. So, can you become OBC now?
There are these ambiguities. You can’t change caste by just giving an affidavit.
Q/ So do you think Fadnavis came under pressure from Manoj Jarange Patil and other Maratha leaders?
A/ I clearly think so. There were pressure tactics. The first Himalayan blunder was that the court said, “Let them [protest] at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.” You should not have let them even enter. You saw what happened after they entered. Then the court said, “Remove them”, so government had to act. Now, anything can happen when the police try to remove a person who is agitating. So pressure further builds up.
The reservation was given in a hurry, and even the word ‘eligible’ was removed in the subsequent version of the GR. And now they are claiming OBC reservation has not been touched. When you try to make two persons sit on the same chair, the person who has been occupying the chair will be so uncomfortable that he will have no option but to get up and go, or fight.
Q/ So this is backdoor entry for the Marathas into the OBC quota?
A/ Clearly, this is nothing but backdoor entry for Marathas into the OBC category. So far they were doing it chupke chupke (silently)—sometimes using force, sometimes making payments. Now it is open backdoor entry. So we are left with no option but to knock on the doors of judiciary.
Q/ So there will be no OBC agitation?
A/ There will be agitation, of course. But we will simultaneously fight it out in court also. Five petitions have been filed by the Samata Parishad and Mali, Sonar, Kunbi and Nabhik communities. There is the High Court, the Supreme Court—somewhere we will get justice. Else, the streets are open.
Q/ Was there pressure on you from the Nationalist Congress Party to not speak, as your party is seen as Maratha-dominated?
A/ There is no pressure on me. Nobody can put pressure on me. I have been working on this issue for decades. I left the Shiv Sena because of the Mandal commission. I have suffered many attacks because I left. When the NCP was formed, the Congress high command, and many other leaders, called me and said, “Don’t go with Sharad Pawar; will make you next chief minister.” I told them that Pawar has implemented the Mandal commission here in Maharashtra, so I am going with him. So I have been fighting for this issue since then. I had even resigned from the Shinde government on this issue. Shinde told me not to say a word about the resignation and continue working.
Q/ So you are ready to quit even today?
A/ No, now I am not ready. Let them sack me from the ministry. I will continue to fight from within; now I will not leave.