Mumbai: BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Tuesday asked his Cabinet colleague Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP to resign if he wants to continue making statements that create confusion about the Maharashtra government’s stand on Maratha quota.
In Kolhapur, Vikhe Patil, a Maratha himself, said Bhujbal should tender his resignation, or else Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will have to take a different call about the NCP leader.
Food and civil supplies minister Bhujbal, an OBC heavyweight, is at loggerheads with Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil over Maratha quota.The Eknath Shinde-led government is in the process of identifying Kunbi certificates among Marathas, which will provide the benefit of OBCs — a demand raised by Jarange-Patil.
This is the first instance when a BJP leader has spoken against Bhujbal. So far, it was the other alliance partner — the Shiv Sena and its senior leaders such as Deepak Kesarkar — who have differed from the NCP minister.
“The back and forth between OBC and Maratha leaders is of no use. Bhujbal is a senior leader and the people look up to him. People respect him, but they may seek action against him,” Vikhe Patil said.
“If he wants to continue speaking on this matter, then he should resign and quit the cabinet. Even though the government is serious about it, the people will start questioning it if they see that there is no coordination in the government and its policy. If Bhujbal does not resign on his own, then the CM will have to think about it,” the revenue minister added.
This week, Bhujbal demanded a stay on Kunbi certificates issued to the Marathas and disbanding of the Justice (retired) Sandeep Shinde Committee on the grounds that it has done the job of identifying records in the Marathwada region.
This is despite his demand triggering a sharp reaction from his cabinet colleague Shambhuraj Desai. “We cannot have a law applicable to a handful of districts in Marathwada region only. Once a law or ruling is out, it generally applies to all parts of the state,” the Sena leader had said.
Earlier this month, Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar also took a potshot at Bhujbal, saying that the people should stay away from making conflicting statements and trying to create rift between people.
On Tuesday, Bhujbal said he was not against any community, but asserted a social group has to fight to protect its rights. “I am not against any community, and I request all of you not to talk against any community, but for our rights we will have to fight,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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