Chandrashekhar Bawankule Says He Won't Object To Jarange's Criticism Amid Maratha Quota Row

Pune, Aug 13: An emotional Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said he would not object if mocking or criticising him made Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange happy or brought him justice.

Jarange had recently targeted Bawankule after a Maratha-Kunbi OBC certificate was cancelled by authorities in Beed district.

Talking to reporters here, Bawankule, an OBC leader himself, said, "If criticising or making fun of me helps him get justice, he is free to do so. I will not say anything against him."

"My wife is from the Kunbi community, my daughter-in-law is Maratha and our family lives together harmoniously. We do not believe in Kunbi-Teli-Maratha disputes. I have a wife, children, sisters, and a family. They also suffer because of these attacks. If speaking against me gives someone happiness, I will not respond," Bawankule said with tears welling up in his eyes.

He had never discriminated on the basis of caste, the BJP minister said, pointing out that the revenue department had issued around 22 lakh Kunbi caste certificates.

"Out of these, only one certificate was found to be incorrect and I ordered an inquiry into it. The issue has been resolved. Even today, Kunbi certificates are being issued regularly," he added.

The revenue department is responsible only for issuing caste certificates, while caste validity scrutiny falls under the jurisdiction of the social justice department, the minister further said.

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"I request the OBC community not to hold protests on the roads (over Jarange's comments). Such agitations could lead to social tensions and create law and order issues. Any legal battle should be fought through lawful means," he said.

Jarange has demanded that eligible members of the Maratha community be given Kunbi caste certificates, so that they could get reservation under the OBC quota. However, OBC leaders in the state have opposed the demand.