NCP's Ajit Pawar faction distances itself from Chhagan Bhujbal's comments on Maratha quota issue

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Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Praful Patel Sunday said the criticism of the Maharashtra government by senior leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal on its handling of the Maratha quota issue is not the official stand of the party.

Bhujbal has echoed the stand of Samata Parishad, an Other Backward Class (OBC) organisation headed by him, and not of the Nationalist Congress Party, Patel told reporters.

Bhujbal questioned the "backdoor entry" of Marathas into the OBC grouping after the Maharashtra government accepted the demands of activist Manoj Jarange.

Activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday called off his indefinite fast for Maratha quota after the Maharashtra government accepted his demands, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announcing that till Marathas get reservation, they will be given all the benefits enjoyed by the OBCs.

A draft notification was issued by the government following negotiations with Jarange, stating that blood relatives of a Maratha person, who has records to show that he belongs to the agrarian Kunbi community, would also be recognised as Kunbi.

Meanwhile, Union minister Narayan Rane on Sunday said he does not agree with the Maharashtra government's decision to give all benefits enjoyed by the OBCs to Marathas till they get reservation.

It would be an encroachment on the (rights of) other backward communities and could lead to an unrest in Maharashtra, Rane, the former chief minister of the state, said in a post on X.

Rane in a post on X said he does not approve of the state government's decision and assurance to the Maratha community regarding the reservation.

"It will lead to suppression of the Maratha community that has a historical legacy and it will also be an encroachment on the other backward communities," he said.

"It could lead to an unrest in the state," Rane said, adding he will speak on the issue on Monday also.

Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the OBC category, and Jarange, who is spearheading the agitation for reservation for the Marathas since last August, has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has tried to assuage concerns of the OBCs, stating that Marathas would not get Kunbi caste certificate without any proof. (With inputs from PTI)