Mumbai: OBC organisations will hold a statewide agitation from November 3 to protect the reservation granted to the community. They are opposed to touching their quota and carve out some to the agitated Maratha community. Their call comes at a time when the pro-Maratha quota organisations are demanding an early restoration of 12% quota in education and 13% in government jobs.
OBC-VJNT Sangharsh Samiti chief and former legislator Prakash Shendge said some Maratha leaders are demanding reservation from the 27% OBC quota. ‘’The OBC community is totally against any efforts by the state government to touch their quota. The state government had provided reservation to the Maratha community by creating a special category that is Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) and enacted the law in 2018. But it has been stayed by the apex court. We have been asking the government what is its plan B if the Maratha reservation is not restored but there has been no clarification yet,’’ he noted.
Shendge said the government should bring clarity and assure that the OBC quota will remain intact and it will not be touched to provide reservation to the Maratha community. ‘’Therefore, a state-wide agitation will be launched from November 3 to protect OBC reservation. The community members will submit a memorandum to the tahasildar,’’ he noted.
However, state NCP chief and Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil claimed that Shendge is misleading the OBC community.
