New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding the Maratha reservation, another community in Maharashtra is showing resistance. Leaders from the Other Backward Class (OBC) have issued a stern warning to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti coalition: any attempt to modify OBC reservations will face severe consequences in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

Speaking on June 16, former BJP MLA from Jat, Sangli, and founder of the OBC Bahujan Party, Prakash Shendge, stated, “Only those committed to advancing OBC welfare deserve to govern this state. If the government considers revoking the Government Resolution that included Marathas under OBC reservations, we will defeat them decisively in the upcoming elections.”

“We backed Maratha reservations when they received a 10% quota exceeding the 50% limit. Now, they are seeking Kunbi certificates, EWS reservations, and inclusion under the OBC category. What about the future of OBC children? Unless we receive a written assurance safeguarding OBC reservations, none of us will engage in discussions. This movement is not confined to a local issue; it will resonate across Maharashtra,” declared Shendge in Wadigodri village, Jalna, located a kilometre away from where Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil staged an indefinite protest on June 8.

Jarange, who ended his hunger strike on June 13 after discussions with State Minister Shamburaj Desai and Shiv Sena MP-elect from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad), Sandipan Bhumre, had demanded Maratha reservations under the OBC Kunbi category and the implementation of a draft notification benefiting relatives of Marathas already recognized as Kunbi OBCs.

Shendge highlighted that the OBC community holds significant numerical strength, with tribal and Muslim populations aligning with them, giving them sway over Assembly entries. “Do not provoke the OBCs,” he cautioned.