Interview: Marathas are 17 pc, OBCs are 57 pc. This will backfire in the elections, says Chhagan Bhujbal

Chhagan Bhujbal at his residence on Tuesday morning. Pic/Sameer Markande

Speaking to mid-day in his first in-depth sit-down interview after making his opposition clear against the Maratha reservation, firebrand OBC strongman Chhagan Bhujbal has said that the issue will not help any party win sizeable votes.

"Marathas are just 17 per cent to 20 per cent of the state's population," Bhujbal told mid-day at his official Nariman Point residence. "It is the Other Backward Castes who comprise 54 per cent to 57 per cent. All of this will backfire big time."

Bhujbal, the state food and civil supplies minister, is very angry about the way the issue was handled and says he is ready to face any consequences for his opposition, as all he wants is for the existing OBC quota to be left untouched.

Quota not for poverty

"Please understand one thing," he said. "I am not against reservation for the Marathas. All I am saying is to give them a separate quota and separate reservation. In the existing OBC quota, there are 370 castes. If the Marathas are added to the existing quota, we will lose everything. On top of this, there are cases of mass tampering of individual caste records by the Marathas to show them as Kunbis after this reservation thing came up. This is a clear-cut case of forgery."

Minister Chhagan Bhujbal at his residence in Nariman Point on January 30. Pic/Sameer Markande

Making a crucial distinction on which communities require affirmative action from the state, Bhujbal was categorical that backwardness is the sole criteria for reservation, rather than poverty. "The Marathas are trying to gain backdoor entry into the reservation quota, which is unfair. Please understand, poverty is not a criteria for betting quota; it is only for the backward. Reservations is not a Garibi Hatao programme," he said, urging the OBC communities to get organised.

Appeal for mass protests

"My request to all OBC brothers and sisters is that the time has come for all of us to leave the group boundaries and come together on the streets with all 374 castes to show our strength," he said. "On February 1, go to the MLA, MP or tehsildar of your respective areas and hand over the demands regarding OBC reservation protection. Everyone should come out in lakhs and raise this demand. All the MLAs and MPs should be made aware that OBCs and Bhatke Vimuktas are also citizens and voters of this state and those who want to contest elections need them too."

Addressing the rushed draft ordinance for Maratha reservation, Bhujbal said lakhs of objections will be filed by the February 16 deadline. He also called OBC communities to attend the Elgar Mela organised at Ahmednagar on February 3. "There are many intellectuals, writers, speakers, lawyers in the OBC and nomadic communities," he said. "All of them should help us in their own way. Lawyer brothers should convince the court about the injustice against OBCs. Soon OBCs will be taking out a protest march across Maharashtra. It will begin from Marathwada. I appeal to SC, ST and all other communities along with OBC and Bhatke Vimuktas to come together and support our movement against the menace of mob rule."

Excerpts from the interview

How did the quota battle come to this stage? You are a senior member of the cabinet. What happened behind the scenes? Was all of this not discussed?
When this was first discussed in the government, I was informed that there are some Nizamshahi records in Telangana on Marathas and the initial demand was that Marathas in Marathwada should be given reservation under Kunbi category.

Maratha community members at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk in Vashi on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Then the demand escalated, saying Marathas across Maharashtra should be included. In the records, it was found that of the 57 lakh Kunbis, 30 lakh already had been included. Now with these, 27 lakh more families plus their blood relatives will be included, leaving no space for anyone else. After the discussion in the government, there was an all-party meeting. It was decided not to touch the quota of OBCs.

The Marathas are already claiming victory...
Marathas are not backward. Caste comes by birth, not with some documentation. What the Marathas have done is gain a backdoor entry. Poverty is not a criterion for reservation. It is not a Garibi Hatao programme. They will need to prove themselves as backward by fulfilling certain criteria laid down by the legal framework and prove they are backward in those areas. The Constitution has a separate provision for that. The Marathas vs OBCs is unnecessarily spoiling the social fabric of the society due to the injustice to OBCs.

You are now in openly protesting against your own government. Did Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar try to speak with you?
I am an OBC leader first and Pawar has made it clear that I have freedom to express my views in this democratically elected government. He has not opposed it. I am entitled to have my opinion. I am only doing my work.

How will all this reflect in the coming elections?
All of this appeasement is not going to help in elections. Marathas are 17 per cent to 20 per cent of the population, while the OBCs are 54 per cent to 57 per cent. OBCs are there in every party and all leaders across parties support this stand. All of this can change the face of electoral politics.

You have been an OBC leader for 32 years. Are you looking to consolidate the OBC vote and form a separate party?
No comments. It can be an idea, but what I am doing now is not for any political agenda. All we want right now is the save our quota.

What does your inner voice say? Will we see the aggressive Bhujbal of 1991? (When he defied Bal Thackeray to walk out of the Sena and join first the Congress, and subsequently the NCP when Sharad Pawar broke away to form the NCP)
You are already seeing him.

But you are a cabinet minister and protesting against your own government could come with a heavy cost.
Caste comes first, party and politics comes later. I don't know all this will have what effect. Let the government and the party decide. But remember, every party has OBCs and if injustice is done, we will go to all MPs and MLAs. All politicians are with me on this.