Bhujbal pledges fight for OBCs, says resigned in November

Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who has accused the state government of facilitating "backdoor entry" of the Maratha community into the OBC quota, has disclosed that he tendered his resignation from the state cabinet last November.Addressing a rally at Ahmadnagar on Saturday, Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, reiterated that he is not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation but is against sharing the existing quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs)."Many leaders from the opposition, even leaders from my government say that I should resign. Someone said Bhujbal should be sacked from the cabinet," the senior OBC leader further said"I want to tell leaders from the Opposition, government, and my party that ahead of the OBC Elgar rally held in Ambad on November 17, I resigned from the cabinet on November 16 and then attended that event," he said. Bhujbal kept quiet for over two months because the chief minister and the Dy CM asked him not to speak about it."He has also called on OBC organisations across the state to unite against the decision. As a result, the Shinde’led Sena has criticised Bhujbal for his stand and is now even demanding his ouster from the state cabinet.
Bhujbal said, "We do not oppose the reservation to the Maratha community, but give it to them separately. Do not give it under our (OBC) quota. But they (Manoj Jarange) say give it from the OBC quota." He claimed the process of gathering data to determine the Maratha community's backwardness through a survey by the state backward classes commission is flawed."While OBCs constitute 54-60 per cent of the state population, SC/STs 20 per cent and Brahmins 3 per cent, yet all MLAs and MPs are scared of losing Maratha votes," he said.