OBC leader Ramesh Kuthe quits BJP ahead of state polls

Ramesh Kuthe. Pic/ X

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, Former MLA Rameshkumar Kuthe on Friday resigned from the primary membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party, reported PTI.

The move also comes amidst rising agitation regarding OBC and Maratha quotas.

His associates and followers wanted him to leave the party, said the resignation letter Kuthe wrote addressed to state BJP chief Chandrashekar Bawankule.

Kuthe had represented Gondia in Maharashtra assembly as a Shiv Sena legislator in 1995 and 1999.

He was with the BJP since 2018, but the recent visit of state Congress chief Nana Patole to his residence had led to speculation about his future moves.

As per the PTI report, The OBC leader's exit could be a setback for the BJP in eastern Maharashtra's Gondia district ahead of assembly elections.

Also Read | OBC agitation: Maharashtra ministers meet OBC activists on behalf of govt, urge them to end fast

Three Maharashtra ministers and a member of the legislative council on Friday met OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare and urged them to end their fast, which entered the ninth day, reported news agency PTI.

The delegation comprising ministers Atul Save, Uday Samant and Girish Mahajan, and MLC Gopichand Padalkar met the OBC activists at the protest site at Wadigodri village in Jalna district. Newly-elected Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre was also present, reported PTI.

Mahajan also called up Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis from the stage and made them talk to the protesting OBC activists.

Later, Padalkar said a meeting between a delegation of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) community and the government has been organised in Mumbai.

Mahajan said five OBC leaders named by Hake will attend the meeting at 5 pm, reported PTI.

"A way can be worked out only after talks. The government will not let injustice happen to anyone," he said, reported PTI.

However, Hake and Waghmare, who have been fasting since June 13, refused to halt their OBC agitation and instead, demanded a written assurance from the government that the OBC quota won't be diluted.

The two are opposed to activist Manoj Jarange's demand over implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as "sage soyare" (blood relatives) of Maratha community members. Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the OBC category, and Jarange has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thus making them eligible for quota in government jobs and education.

"The government doesn't take notice of OBC agitation but gives the red carpet treatment to the protest by a specific community," he said, reported PTI.

He said prominent OBC leaders like Dhananjay Munde, Pankaja Munde, Chhagan Bhujbal, Gopichand Padalkar and Vijay Wadettiwar should also be present during the meeting in Mumbai, reported PTI.

Waghmare also said that their protest will continue till the government gives in writing that the OBC reservation won't be disturbed, reported PTI.

"The government says it will implement 'sage soyare' notification. But it also says OBC reservation won't be affected. Someone is telling the truth and someone is not," he said, reported PTI.

The government should make its stand clear and cancel the "back-door entry to reservation through 54 lakh Kunbi-Maratha records," he added, reported PTI.

On Thursday, Hake and Waghmare had alleged that Maratha youths were ending their lives due to confusion created by activist Jarange.