Bhujbal should resign to protect self-respect if he thinks injustice meted out to OBCs: Sanjay Raut

Raut also accused Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of orchestrating the Maratha quota protest to create a challenge before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said if sulking minister Chhagan Bhujbal thinks injustice has been done to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) by the state government through its decision on Maratha quota, then he should resign to protect his self-respect and on moral grounds.

Activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday called off his five-day-long hunger strike in Mumbai over the Maratha reservation issue after the government accepted most of his demands. The government also came out with a GR on the issuance of Kunbi (OBC) caste certificates to eligible Marathas.

Talking to reporters, Raut claimed that Bhujbal, a prominent OBC leader, has accepted that injustice has been done to his community and that he is still working under the chief minister who has done injustice.

"If he is leading a community and injustice has been done to it...If anyone feels genuinely about it, then he (Bhujbal) needs to resign from the cabinet. (Former Union minister) C D Deshmukh resigned after he had differences with (former Prime Minister Jawaharlal) Nehru," he said.

"You (Bhujbal) are boycotting the cabinet meeting, which means you don't trust the CM. In such a situation, he (Bhujbal) should resign on moral grounds and self-respect. You should submit your resignation and make clear the reasons behind it," Raut added.

Bhujbal on Wednesday skipped a meeting of the state cabinet and later expressed displeasure over the government order on granting Kunbi status to eligible Marathas for quota, indicating that he would mount a legal challenge.

Jarange has expressed confidence about his community members getting quota benefits following Tuesday's government resolution (GR) on issuance of Kunbi (OBC) caste certificates to them.

In a veiled attack on Deputy CM Shinde, Raut also alleged that some elements in the state government desired that Jarange should not withdraw his hunger strike and that Fadnavis government should land in trouble.

"What was Fadnavis' political strategy in keeping (Deputy CM Eknath) Shinde away? Because Shinde's name crops up in bringing protesters to Mumbai in large numbers. His (Shinde) main intention was not securing reservation but to create a challenge before Devendra Fadnavis," Raut said.