Senior NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday claimed that the recent GR issued by the state government on reservations to the Marathas is an injustice to the Other Backward Class (OBC) community, reported news agency PTI.
Speaking at a press conference, Deshmukh said nobody is against giving reservations to the Marathas, but it should not affect the OBC quota.
The OBC community has grown restless after the state social justice and special assistance department issued the GR on implementing the Hyderabad gazette, which will allow eligible members of the Maratha community to apply for Kunbi caste certificates. This will enable them to claim quota under the OBC category after certificates are issued, reported PTI.
The GR was issued after the state cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation successfully persuaded quota activist Manoj Jarange to withdraw his hunger strike in Mumbai on September 2.
“The GR on Maratha reservation is an injustice to the OBC community. Nobody is against giving reservations to Marathas, but while doing so, the OBC quota should not be affected. The new GR, however, seems to impact OBC reservation, and naturally, the community`s disappointment is coming to the fore,” the NCP (SP) leader said, reported PTI.
Asked about the election for the Leader of Opposition in the state legislature, Deshmukh said the selection process has been underway for one and a half years, and a decision should be made soon, reported PTI.
Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will make the decision jointly, he said.
Meanwhile, Anil Deshmukh demanded a safety audit of all private explosives manufacturing companies in Nagpur, expressing concerns about the recent incidents of blasts at these establishments.
Speaking at a press conference, Deshmukh said that the state government should set up an expert committee for the audit to ensure the safety of workers employed at these factories.
Two persons were killed and 13 others were injured after a blast occurred at an explosives factory of the Solar Group at Bazargaon in Nagpur district on Thursday.
The senior leader claimed that around 23 people have lost their lives in such blasts at explosives factories in the last two years.
He pointed out that despite the presence of a Central government agency like the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), which regulates the safety of hazardous substances, in the district and other state departments, such blasts had occurred.
(With inputs from PTI)
