Prominent Other Backward Classes (OBC) leaders in Maharashtra including NCP leader and food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday said they would move court against the government resolution (GR) granting Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas based on the Hyderabad gazette.
Bhujbal boycotted a cabinet meeting in the first half on Wednesday although he attended a party meeting before that and spoke to reporters, slamming his own government.
"OBC leaders have doubts about the GR issued by the government yesterday. We are consulting legal experts over it. No government has the authority to add any community in another caste. We did not expect such a decision. We will go to court," he said.
The GR expediting grant of Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas was issued on Tuesday, capping five days of protests at Azad Maidan led by Manoj Jarange-Patil, who was on a hunger strike.
Marathas are a confederation of various castes while Kunbis are a traditional farming community included in the OBC category in Maharashtra.
In the afternoon on Wednesday, Bhujbal held a meeting in Bandra with various OBC leaders and legal experts. OBC organisations would approach the Bombay High Court or the Supreme Court on Monday or Tuesday, he told reporters after the meeting.
"There is huge unrest among OBCs across the state and they are burning the copies of GR. We are discussing the GR with legal experts as we have doubts about some sentences and words and their implications," the NCP minister said.
Once the Ganpati festival ends this weekend, delegations of OBCs across the state would submit memorandums to government officials to register their protest against GR, he added.
Former MLA Prakash Shendge, a prominent OBC leader, also met Bhujbal and extended his support for the legal battle, saying lakhs of OBCs felt the GR would affect their future.
"OBC organisations across the state will intensify protests once the Ganpati festival concludes," he said.
Laxman Hake, another prominent OBC leader, too said the GR was unjust and he would challenge it in court.
Congress leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said OBC leaders from Vidarbha would meet on September 6, and a larger meeting would be held in Mumbai on September 8 to discuss the matter.
However, Babanrao Taywade, president of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, struck a discordant note, claiming the GR would not affect the OBC quota.
"Different people may have different opinions on this matter. But as per my understanding and knowledge, this GR has not affected the OBC quota and OBCs will not lose anything. But we are open to legal opinion and will challenge the GR in court if needed," he said.
Vikhe-Patil defends GR
BJP leader and water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil claimed the GR would not affect the OBC quota.
"People from Marathwada will get Kunbi certificates only after due scrutiny about their families' past records. There is no threat to the OBC quota due to this and there should be no misunderstanding over it," he said.
Vikhe-Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha quota issue, also slammed Laxman Hake for opposing the GR, saying he should not speak about other communities' reservation. The sub-committee had done everything after consulting legal experts including the advocate general, he said.