Stormy OBC Sub-Cabinet Committee Meeting: Chhagan Bhujbal Slams GRs, Demands Fair Share Of Funds
According to sources, Raising the issue of inadequate budgetary support, Bhujbal warned that if corrective steps are not taken, he would be compelled to move court. “This GR has left us helpless. If issues remain unresolved here, we will seek justice in the courts,” Bhujbal is reported to have said during the meeting.
Mumbai: The OBC Sub-Cabinet Committee meeting held at Mantralaya under the chairmanship of Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule turned stormy on Wednesday, with senior OBC leader and Minister Chhagan Bhujbal taking an aggressive stand against recent government resolutions (GRs) issued during the Maratha reservation agitation.
Bhujbal strongly objected to the wording in the GRs related to Kunbi records, arguing that such orders would harm the interests of OBCs. He accused the government of allocating fewer funds to OBC communities compared to the Marathas, despite OBCs comprising 353 castes. Expressing his displeasure, Bhujbal said that in the last two decades OBCs have received very limited funds, while the Maratha community has secured substantial allocations in the past few years.
According to sources, Raising the issue of inadequate budgetary support, Bhujbal warned that if corrective steps are not taken, he would be compelled to move court. “This GR has left us helpless. If issues remain unresolved here, we will seek justice in the courts,” Bhujbal is reported to have said during the meeting. He also pressed for immediate release of pending OBC funds for scholarships and hostels.
Committee Chairman Chandrashekhar Bawankule, however, reassured members that the government would not allow any injustice to the OBC community. He clarified that Kunbi certificates will be issued only after proper verification of lineage and documents at the gram sabha, tehsildar, and sub-divisional levels. “No fake certificates will be tolerated. Only genuine records will be recognized,” Bawankule said.
The meeting, attended by Ministers Bhujbal, Pankaja Munde, Ganesh Naik, Sanjay Rathod, Gulabrao Patil, and several other leaders, also discussed pending dues of Rs 3,688 crore for OBC schemes, including Rs1,200 crore in scholarships. Bawankule said he had placed proposals before the committee for hostel construction and land for government offices, while also suggesting an OBC-focused loan scheme on the lines of the Annasaheb Patil Corporation.
Several key recommendations were placed before the committee, including:
1. Marathas should not be included under the OBC category and blanket Kunbi certificates should not be issued.
2. OBC students pursuing professional courses should be given 100% scholarships.
3. The number of OBC students receiving foreign education scholarships should be raised from 75 to 200.
4. Housing schemes by MHADA and CIDCO should reserve quotas for OBCs.
5. The OBC Financial Development Corporation should be renamed after Adv. Janardan Patil.
6. Fully equipped libraries for OBC, VJNT, and SBC students should be set up at the city and taluka levels.
7. A Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh OBC Social Service Award should be instituted.
8. OBC, VJNT, and special backward category farmers should get the same 100% subsidy benefits as SC/ST farmers.
9. A corpus of Rs1,000 crore should be allocated to the OBC Economic Development Corporation.
During the meeting, Minister Pankaja Munde demanded strict measures to prevent fake Maratha certificates. She also called for a white paper on the issue, insisting that no illegal documents be entertained in the reservation process.
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