Chandrashekhar Bawankule Calls for Unity, Avoiding OBC-Maratha Divide

Quick Summary

• Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule chaired the first cabinet sub-committee meeting on Other Backward Classes (OBC).
• Discussions focused on objections raised over the government resolution (GR) allowing Marathas to apply for Kunbi caste certificates based on the Hyderabad gazetteer.
• OBC leader NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal opposed vague usage of “Maratha” in the GR and its potential impact on OBC reservations.
• The sub-committee decided that certificates woudl be issued only if Kunbi-Maratha or maratha-Kunbi is explicitly mentioned, with monitoring mechanisms at Gram Sabha and tehsildar levels to avoid inaccuracies.
• The eight-member committee aims to promote social, educational, and economic welfare for OBC communities; a ₹3,800 crore budget was approved for schemes targeting 353 OBC communities.
• Employment generation schemes for OBC youth were announced, modeled after Annasaheb Patil Mahamandal yojana. Previous decisions under Chhagan Bhujbal’s tenure will also be reviewed.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The discussions surrounding Maharashtra’s contentious government resolution highlight ongoing tensions between Maratha reservation demands and safeguarding existing quotas for OBC groups. While efforts like monitoring certificate issuance aim to mitigate concerns of misuse or ambiguity in implementation, balancing equitable access across diverse socio-economic groups remains complex.

The subcommittee’s focus on targeted development-backed by significant funding-is a positive step toward addressing systemic disparities within the state’s backward classes framework. Though, ensuring impartiality in policy execution will be critical as overlapping community interests could spark broader societal or political disputes over representation.Read more: Source