Prakash Ambedkar's Crusade to Protect OBC Reservation

Prakash Ambedkar, leader of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), has commenced the 'Aarakshan Bachao Yatra' to safeguard Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservations and call for the cancellation of 55 lakh 'bogus' Kunbi caste certificates. The yatra, which will cover key historical sites, aims to send 100 OBC MLAs to the Maharashtra assembly.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar initiated a yatra on Thursday to defend the reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and demand the cancellation of 55 lakh 'bogus' Kunbi caste certificates amid the ongoing Maratha quota agitation.

Named 'Aarakshan Bachao Yatra', the journey began after paying tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar at his memorial Chaityabhoomi in Dadar, central Mumbai.

The yatra, led by Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar, will conclude at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra, covering approximately 370 km from Mumbai by August 7, according to Siddharth Mokale, VBA's state vice-president.

'The yatra aims to protect OBC reservations and demand the cancellation of 55 lakh bogus Kunbi caste certificates issued last year,' said Mokale, referring to certificates granted to Marathas post the activist Manoj Jarange-led quota agitation.

Marathas obtaining Kunbi certificates would avail OBC quota benefits in government jobs and education. The agrarian Kunbi community already benefits from OBC category reservations.

The broader goal of the yatra is to ensure the election of 100 OBC MLAs to the Maharashtra assembly in the upcoming polls, along with advocating for doubled SC/ST scholarships.

The yatra will visit Mahatma Phule Wada in Pune and Naigaon in Satara district, birthplace of social reformer Savitribai Phule.

Initially a member of the opposition INDIA alliance, the VBA parted ways over seat-sharing disputes and contested the recent Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra independently.