CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Maharashtra food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday accused NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLAs Rajesh Tope and Rohit Pawar of bringing Manoj Jarange back to the agitation venue in Jalna after the Maratha quota activist had returned home following the police lathicharge during the demonstration on September 1.Bhujbal, whos the founder president of All India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, said this while addressing the OBC Aarakshan Bachao Elgar Parishad rally at the Dhait Nagar ground in Ambad, which is 26km from Antarwali Sarati in Jalna, the epicentre of the Maratha reservation agitation. "After the stone-pelting left 70 policemen, including 20 constables, injured, Jarange went home. Tope and Rohit Pawar then went to his house, brought him back and made him sit for the agitation. They told Jarange that NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar would meet him the next morning. Sharad Pawar was not informed why the policemen were attacked and what necessitated the lathicharge," he said.Tope, Rohit brought activist back to agitation venue on September 1A wrong picture was portrayed after the September 1 incident. The home minister apologised and vowed to withdraw the cases. This dented the police forces morale," he said, appealing to the OBC community members "to ensure a tit-for-tat reply".Bhujbal also raked up the issue riots that rocked Beed district during the quota protests, attacks on properties of people belonging to the OBC category and torching of bungalows and offices of MLAs Prakash Solanke, Sandeep Kshirsagar and Amarsinh Pandit and former minister Jaidutt Kshirsagar. He questioned the state intelligence department and the police for failing to prevent the attacks.Bhujbal said Jarange did not understand the issue of reservation. He said, "Reservation is not the means of addressing poverty."The senior leader of the NCP group led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said OBC gatherings would now be held in every district and taluka across the state.Demanding a caste-based census, Bhujbal said politicians, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and even some from BJP, were publicly raising demand for the exercise. He said, "When everybody is supporting the caste-based census, it should be carried out without any further delay. PM Narendra Modi also claims himself to be pro-OBC. It is said that 60% of OBC voters back BJP. If the OBC voters are not taken care of, what will happen if they do not vote for you (BJP)."Leader of the opposition and senior Congress leader Vijay Waddettiwar said reservation in politics should be in proportion to a communitys population. "For me, OBC comes first and I am ready to go to any extent to protect their rights," he said.Rashtriya Samaj Pakshas Mahadev Jankar said it was high time that the OBC community formed its own political group under Bhujbal.Former minister Prakash Shendge said, "The state government should immediately stop issuing Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community members. Else, we will show this government its place in the 2024 elections," he warned. Dhangar community leader and BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar said, "The OBC reservation share should not be affected in any way."Pankaja Munde, Atul Save skip OBC rallyMaharashtra housing minister Atul Save and former minister Pankaja Munde did not attend the OBC Aarakshan Bachao Elgar Parishad rally at the Dhait Nagar ground in Ambad, despite the presence of huge cutouts and banners featuring them at the venue.Pankaja Munde, the daughter of late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde who is still remembered for being one of the most prominent pro-OBC voices, skipping the event came as a surprise. During an interaction with journalists at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar hours before the meeting, she conveyed her best wishes for the OBC rally in Ambad, She, however, maintained silence over attending the event.Later in the evening, she said, "I hold Chhagan Bhujbal in high regards. I believe that it was his pitch and and day for batting."On reports that she did not get any official invitation from the OBC leadership for the event, she said, "I do not require any invitation for attending events where voices are raised in favour of the backward class or deprived communities. The OBC issue is close to my heart. We are not against Maratha reservation. It is just that someone elses rights should not be disturbed."Save, who is one of the prominent OBC faces from Marathwada, is also the guardian minister of Jalna and Beed. Both the districts have a sizeable population of people representing the OBC community. Save could not be reached for his comments on the issue.

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