OBCs getting 'excess benefits' of quota, claims Maratha quota activist Jarange

Mumbai: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday alleged that Other Backward Classes (OBC) are getting "excess benefits" of reservation, and said the Maratha community in Maharashtra should get the quota benefits as recommended by the Mandal Commission for backward classes.

Jarange, who has brought back the Maratha quota issue to the centre stage in Maharashtra, was speaking to a regional news channel here.

Jarange, 40, was earlier on a hunger strike in Jalna district over his demand for reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category. He ended his fast on September 14 on the 17th day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met him and assured to fulfil his demand. The activist has set a 40-day deadline before the Shinde government for taking steps to implement reservation for the Maratha community.

He has been demanding that the Maratha community be included in the OBC category so that it gets the reservation benefits. The OBC leaders in the state have, however, opposed this demand.

"The government formed the Mandal Commission and set the reservation limit to 14 per cent. How did it later increase the limit to 30 to 32 per cent? If we (Marathas) are included in the OBCs, it would not affect their quota," Jarange claimed.

"The other communities included in the reservation list in the past did not produce any papers or documents. But when it comes to Marathas, we are asked to submit several documents and papers in order to get the reservation benefits. The OBCs are getting excess benefits of reservation," he alleged.

The activist said, "All Marathas are Kunbis, as their occupation is agriculture. In Vidarbha, the Kunbi community gets a reservation. I demand that the government give a Kunbi certificate to all the Marathas in the state." Kunbis (the community associated with agriculture) are grouped under the OBC category in Maharashtra and enjoy reservation benefits under it.