MUMBAI: The opposition in Maharashtra has attacked the government over food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal's statement that he would oppose the backdoor entry of Marathas into the OBC quota.
The Opposition said the episode only reveals the lack of consensus within the government. "There seems to be a lack of consensus within the government. Bhujbal says one thing and the chief minister and his party say something else. This could also be an attempt to take divergent stands in order to please both the OBC and Maratha communities."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the Mahayuti government was trying to divide the state on caste lines. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar also said there should be a white paper which should also trace the antecedents of members of the OBC community.
"There are so many people from the OBC community who are unable to avail of reservations because they do not have the caste certificate. Their antecedents should be traced," said Wadettiwar.
On Monday, Bhujbal had criticised his own government and blamed it for taking an anti-OBC decision. He also opposed the way Kunbi (OBC) certificates were being given to Marathas and questioned how thousands of ancestral records had suddenly become available in days. He also said that the Kunbi certificate had become a backdoor entry into reservations for a community which had not been able to get it through the legal route.
