Bhujbal's protest call a farce; he should resign for OBC quota cause: NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction

The NCP Sharad Pawar faction on Tuesday dubbed Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbals call for an agitation to protect the OBC quota a farce and demanded his resignation for misleading people.The Sharad Pawar-led NCPs national spokesperson Clyde Crasto wondered how Bhujbal could be in the government and protest at the same time.Chhagan Bhujbals agitation is a farce.

The NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) on Tuesday dubbed Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal's call for an agitation to protect the OBC quota a ''farce'' and demanded his resignation for ''misleading people''.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP's national spokesperson Clyde Crasto wondered how Bhujbal could be in the government and protest at the same time.

''Chhagan Bhujbal's agitation is a farce. Why didn't he raise this issue in the Cabinet and express his concern,'' Crasto told PTI.

Bhujbal has announced the staging of protests outside the residences of MLAs, MPs and tehsildars on February 1 against the state government's decision regarding the Maratha quota.

''If he really wants to give justice to his community (OBC) he must resign and fight for their rights wholeheartedly,'' Crasto said.

Bhujbal and the Eknath Shinde-led government are only fooling and misleading the people of Maharashtra on the Maratha reservation issue, Crasto alleged. Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, has targeted the state government over a draft notification issued following negotiations with Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange.

As per the draft notification, blood relatives of a Maratha person, who has records to show that he belongs to the agrarian Kunbi community, would also be recognised as Kunbi.

An agrarian community, Kunbi falls in the OBC category, and Jarange, who has been spearheading the agitation for reservation for the Marathas since last August, has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas.