Nashik: The OBC community has planned a series of rallies to send a strong message to the state government, asking it not to reduce the reservation share of the OBCs, said state cabinet minister and prominent OBC politician Chhagan Bhujbal.Bhujbal told TOI the upcoming rally at Jalnas Ambad on November 17 will be the first of several rallies that the OBC community has planned across the state.After Jalna, the next rally will take place in Hingoli on November 26 and, thereafter, at Yavatmal. These rallies are a do-or-die battle for the states OBC community as far as safeguarding reservation is concerned, said Bhujbal. According to him, there is major resentment among the OBC community against Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange. The turnout for the OBC rallies will be an eye-opener for him (Jarange), Bhujbal said.These rallies will also be a show of strength for the states OBC community, added Bhujbal. According to him, the OBC community will not tolerate any muscle flexing by Jarange on the reservation issue. He must remember that the entire OBC community makes up 54% of the states population. No one should take the OBC community lightly, said Bhujbal.Bhujbal had, in the recent past, voiced concerns about the state governments decision to give reservation to the Marathas under the OBC quota. Few days ago, he had discussed the issue with chief minister Eknath Shinde. Bhujbal claimed that Shinde assured him that there will be no adverse impact on the reservation share of the OBCs. In response to a question, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA from Nashiks Yeola constituency said over 2 lakh OBC community members will be attending the rally at Jalna.My feedback is that the local organisers of the rally at Jalna have got in touch with all prominent OBC leaders, including present and former MLAs, to attend the rally. It is up to them to attend the rally or not. But these OBC leaders must remember that they ought to come forward for the cause of the people of the OBC community in the state, he said.We also published the following articles recentlyBhujbal group expects all OBC MLAs, 50k people at rally on activist turf, Jarange fumesThe All-India Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, led by state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, plans to mobilize over 50,000 people from the OBC community for a rally in Ambad, Jalna district. This comes as a response to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange blaming the OBCs for pressuring politicians and preventing the passing of reservation benefits to the Maratha community. The rally aims to showcase the strength of the OBC community and invite all OBC MLAs to attend. The OBC community fears that if Marathas are given blanket reservation in the OBC category, it will negatively impact them.CM assured OBC quota will not be affected, says BhujbalChhagan Bhujbal, an influential OBC leader and NCP minister, has stated that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has assured him that the OBC reservation will not be affected even if kunbi certificates are issued to eligible Marathas. Bhujbal emphasized that his top priority is to safeguard the reservation of the OBC community and that he will not compromise if their reservation gets adversely affected. He also criticized Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange for attempting to create a rift between the Marathas and OBCs. Bhujbal stated that he accords greater importance to issues related to the OBCs than his MLA seat.Some OBC leaders are conspiring against Maratha youth: Manoj JarangeReservation activist Manoj Jarange has accused OBC leaders of plotting against Maratha youth by falsely linking them to arson and violence during the recent quota agitation. Jarange believes that this conspiracy aims to demoralize and discourage Maratha youth from participating in future protests. He suspects that ruling parties are trying to tarnish the Maratha agitation by attributing violence to them. Cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who visited the violence-hit area, had previously stated that he would oppose any inclusion of Marathas into the OBC category. Jarange plans to embark on a state-wide tour to demand Maratha reservation.

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