Chhagan Bhujbal’s announcement stirs up political row in Maharashtra

Bhujbal had announced that he resigned from the Maha Yuti government last year.

Mumbai: Amid the raging Marathas vs OBCs reservation issue in Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal has stirred up a controversy by declaring that he had resigned from the Maha Yuti government last year. However, the opposition Maha Vikas Agahdi described it as a hogwash.

A lot of differences among the Eknath Shinde-led BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government has come to the fore over the Maratha reservation through Kunbi caste certificates enabling them to seek quota in jobs and education under the OBC category.

Addressing an OBC Elgar Mahasabha in the Ahmednagar district, Bhujbal, who is the state’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister, said that he had down his papers. Bhujbal is also the president of Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad, an organisation of the OBC community and has held rallies across the country.

“Many leaders from the Opposition, even leaders from my (Maha Yuti) government say that I should resign. Someone said Bhujbal should be sacked from the cabinet...I want to tell leaders from the Opposition, government, and my party that I had resigned from the cabinet on November 16, a day before addressing the OBC Elgar rally held in Ambad (in Jalna) on November 17,” he said on Saturday.

He went on to add that he was silent on the issue for two-and-a-half months because the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Ministers had asked him not to speak about it.

The Antarwali Sarathi village is in Ambad in Jalna from where Manoj Jarange-Patil is running the Maratha reservation campaign.

So far, Shinde had not commented on Bhujbal's statement.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the President of NCP, has refrained from speaking on it.

However, BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has confirmed it, adding that his resignation was not accepted. “The Chief Minister will be able to clarify on this, but I can only say as of now that Bhujbal's resignation has not been accepted by the Chief Minister,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut described it as a hogwash. “It is said that Fadnavis is behind Bhujbal’s outbursts against handling of the Maratha quota agitation. Both are hand in gloves,” he said.

Raut’s statement comes days after anti-corruption crusader and activist Anjali Damania said: “Bhujbal on way to BJP? Will BJP, who once filed a PIL against Bhujbal's corruption, make him a big OBC leader? Will you elevate such corrupt people for politics?”