Latest news with #Bhujbal
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chhagan Bhujbal speaks on OBC reservation and his political comeback Pulse Maharashtra
In this episode of Pulse Maharashtra, Vinaya Deshpande sits down with Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and veteran OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal for a wide-ranging conversation on the state's most politically charged issue: reservation. Bhujbal shares his reaction to the Supreme Court's interim order restoring OBC reservation in local body elections, criticises the Bhatia Commission report, and explains why the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category is unacceptable to him. He revisits the historical fight for OBC rights, makes a strong case for a nationwide caste census, and warns of the growing tensions between communities due to what he calls political mismanagement. Bhujbal also speaks candidly about his return to the cabinet, past grievances with his party leadership, and whether the fractured NCP can ever be reunited. A sharp, emotional, and deeply political interview, this episode captures the pulse of Maharashtra's reservation politics. Presentation: Vinaya Deshpande Video: Emmanual Karbhari and Gautam Nirmal Doshi Production: Vishnoo Jotshi
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra Sadan case: ED returned ‘wet, torn' passports, Bhujbal tells PMLA court
In a submission made before a Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) court, Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal said last week that his passport was returned to him 'wet and torn' due to a fire that broke out in the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai on April 27. A similar submission was also made by his son, Pankaj, in a separate application before the court last week. Bhujbal and Pankaj had been named as accused in a case filed by the ED in connection with the Maharashtra Sadan case, and their bail conditions required them to deposit their passports with the ED. A fire had broken out at the Ballard Estate office of the ED on April 27. Both Bhujbal and his son had in April sought permission from the court to travel abroad and sought for their passports to be returned to them for that purpose. Two days after the fire, the court had on April 29 allowed the two to travel abroad. Their passports were returned to them on May 13. However, they submitted to the court that the passports were returned 'wet and torn'. Worried that it may cause problems during immigration, the duo applied for new passports via tatkal to expedite their travel. Bhujbal informed the court that this took time as he had to then also obtain fresh Schengen visas, and hence he had to alter his travel dates. From his earlier permitted dates between May 24 to June 8, he sought further permission to travel till June 12. Pankaj had also made the same submission. The ED opposed their pleas for the extension, stating that they may abscond and delay the trial, which is yet to commence. 'It is pertinent to note that the accused (is) already permitted to travel abroad. The passport of the applicant (was) wet and torn in the office of the Enforcement Directorate. Considering the reasons put forth in the application, it is allowed. Extension for travel for the period of four days is granted up to the period of June 12 under the same terms and conditions imposed in the order dated April 29, 2025,' special judge Satyanarayan Navander said in an order passed on June 2. A fire had broken out at the ED Mumbai Zonal office-I on the fourth floor of the Kaiser-I-Hind building in Ballard Estate around 2.25 am on April 27. The fire had been doused in over an hour, suspected to have been caused due to a short circuit. The ED in a statement had then said that certain documents and furniture had been damaged but that evidentiary documents related to investigations were also stored in digital format, therefore no impediment in conducting investigation or trial is expected.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Will fight tooth and nail against inclusion of Marathas in OBC category, says Bhujbal
Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and senior Other Backwards Classes leader Chhagan Bhujbal told The Hindu that he will fight 'tooth and nail' against the demand for the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category to get reservation benefits. Mr. Bhujbal's comments come against the backdrop of a fresh round of agitation in August called by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil. 'No space for more' 'Our house is already full. OBC is not a caste. It is a class. There are many small groups in it. There is no space in our house. So we are telling the Marathas, 'Don't come here. You have another house, please go there,'' he said. The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader added, 'If they still continue to ask for reservation under the OBC category, we are ready. We will fight it. They won't get anything in that case.' Mr. Bhujbal, who was sworn in as a Minister on May 20, accused Mr. Jarange-Patil of disrupting the social harmony in parts of Maharashtra. 'The OBCs used to look up to the Marathas as their elder brothers. But Jarange-Patil has caused a rift in society,' he said. The OBC leader claimed that the Maratha community wields a lot of influence in the State and gets reservation benefits. The Minister added that 60% of Maharashtra's MLAs and Ministers hail from the Maratha community. 'The banks are with them, the milk and sugar cooperatives are with them. The district bodies are with them. Why do they still want to be included in the OBC category?' he added. When asked if the State Government would withdraw the Banthia Commission report from the Supreme Court, Mr. Bhujbal said it would not matter as the 1992 judgment in the Indra Sawhney case would ultimately prevail. The report, commissioned by the Maharashtra Government, had recommended 27% reservation for OBCs in local body elections. The report was in the news recently when the Supreme Court directed the State Election Commission to hold the pending local body elections according to the OBC reservations that were in place before 2022, when the Banthia Commission had submitted its report. The Supreme Court had, in its Indra Sawhney judgment, placed a 50% cap on reservations. The interview will be available on The Hindu's YouTube channel 'Pulse Maharashtra' on May 31.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chhagan Bhujbal slams Banthia panel report on OBCs
Days after the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the Maharashtra local body elections without the Banthia Commission recommendations on OBC reservation, Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal has torn into the commission appointed by the State government in 2022 over the issue. When asked if the State government will now withdraw the report submitted before the Supreme Court, the Minister said it would not matter as the nine-member Bench's judgment in the Indira Sawhney case would stand valid. In an interim order, the Supreme Court recently directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to hold the pending local body elections in the State along with the OBC reservation status that existed before 2022 when the Banthia Commission had submitted its report. 'Reservation shall be provided to the OBC communities as per the law as it existed in the State prior to the 2022 report of the Banthia Commission,' the court stated in its order. Hitting out at the Banthia Commission for its methodology of conducting the survey, Mr. Bhujbal said, 'Within one month, is it possible that sitting at home, sitting in air-conditioned places, can you have the caste census all over Maharashtra? For example, I will tell you. Gaikwad is a surname. When the commission was going through the electoral rolls, the officers marked 'Gaikwad' as Maratha. But Gaikwad is an SC too, an OBC too, even a Mali community member. I don't agree with the Banthia Commission report, but because, at that time, there was the Supreme Court which was sitting on our State government's head, and we had to submit that report.' The Minister said that he had also raised the issue with the then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, as he was a part of the Cabinet even then. 'I was told that if we don't submit this report, we will have to conduct the elections with zero reservation for the OBCs. So I let it be at that time,' he said. Mr. Bhujbal punched holes in the committee report. 'When the copy (of the Banthia Commission report) came to me, I found that in Sinnar, one of the talukas of Nasik district, in four places, there were zero OBCs, as per the report. I said, it is not possible. I sent my people from Nasik to those villages. In one village, an OBC was the sarpanch. In another village, there were five OBCs elected in the gram panchayat. I told this to Uddhavji. I asked him, 'What is it going on? Is this the way?' And some people, they purposely called the Collectors to tell them that the OBC percentage in that district should be limited to a particular figure. Uddhavji told me that in 92 places we had to conduct elections with zero reservation for the OBCs. Let it go, otherwise we will get nothing.' The Minister claimed that as per the 1931 census, OBCs were 54 per cent and should get 27 per cent reservation. 'In some places, Banthia Commission said that there were very few OBCs. For example, in Mumbai, he said there were only six per cent OBCs. What is he saying? Here, all the hard-working communities are from the OBC class – whether they are coolies on the railway stations. Even those from U.P. - the Yadavs, Kurmis, Kushwahas. They are all OBCs. And what does he say? How can it be six per cent?' he asked. He also claimed that there was an internal tussle within the Banthia Commission, and one of the members challenged the former bureaucrat. He said that at that time, they let it go as the Supreme Court had sought a time-bound report for the holding of elections. Madhya Pradesh model The State Minister said that the Maharashtra government had followed the Madhya Pradesh model while appointing the Banthia Commission for the OBC reservation. But the Banthia Commission did not deliver due to time constraint. 'We don't agree, I don't agree with the Banthia Commission, but because, at that time, the Supreme Court was sitting on the State government's head, we had to give it.' When asked if the government would now withdraw the report, he said it would not matter. 'Till then, my election should be there and we will fight it out thoroughly. The nine-member Bench order of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case is already there. We will show it. This time, there was not enough time. Now, when the case continues, it will take years together. And, by that time, as the Prime Minister has declared, there will be a caste census. With the caste census, it will be crystal clear,' he said. (The video of the full interview of Maharashtra Cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal can be watched on 'Pulse Maharashtra' on The Hindu's YouTube channel)
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Uneasy truce between Ajit Pawar and Bhujbal
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal is finally back in the state cabinet. Even after taking oath, he is not mincing his words as he has been speaking of how unhappy he was ever since he was left out of the cabinet post last year's assembly elections. He has also indicated that party chief Ajit Pawar was not keen on inducting him earlier but with changed circumstances and a nudge from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, he is back in Mantralaya. While Fadnavis and BJP leaders have expressed happiness over his return to the cabinet, most NCP leaders have remained silent. That Ajit Pawar and Bhujbal never really got along is well-known in political circles. The Ajit camp had strongly opposed Bhujbal's selection as deputy chief minister after Congress-NCP returned to power for a third term in 2009. Ajit succeeded in removing Bhujbal from the post a year later when Ashok Chavan stepped down as chief minister due to the Adarsh scam. Since then, the duo have rarely seen eye to eye. It was surprising for many when Bhujbal joined Ajit when the party split in 2023. Some think it was Fadnavis who advised Bhujbal to join Ajit. During Manoj Jarange-Patil's agitation seeking inclusion of Maratha community in the OBC category, Fadnavis had become a prime target. Bhujbal stepped in and did what most leaders from ruling Mahayuti did not do: Take on Jarange-Patil openly. Little wonder Fadnavis was keen on getting Bhujbal back in the cabinet. The ruling Mahayuti's focus on the OBCs and resignation of another OBC leader Dhananjay Munde from the cabinet probably left Ajit Pawar with no choice. People in the NCP are however wondering how long the Ajit-Bhujbal truce will last. A major reason why Ajit Pawar kept Bhujbal out of the cabinet was the latter's anti-Jarange image as Maratha voters are a strong base for his party. Bhujbal being Bhujbal, is likely to remain aggressive on the issues of OBCs. A friction is unavoidable, feel many in the NCP. Mohite Patil, Deshmukh on radar? There is a buzz in the Opposition camp that some prominent leaders from the opposition parties could be on the radar of investigating agencies in the coming days. The Mohite-Patil clan, comprising former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, his nephew and NCP (SP) MP Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil and son Ranjitsinh (who is a BJP MLC), stood by Sharad Pawar in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. The MVA won Madha and Solapur Lok Sabha seats due to the clan's support. A case related to Solapur district cooperative bank is haunting Mohite-Patil. In neighbouring Latur, Congress legislator Amit Deshmukh too seems to be treading cautiously. He played a significant role in Congress winning the Latur Lok Sabha seat. Following Ashok Chavan's joining the BJP, he has emerged as the party's face in Marathwada. Amit, son of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, is also to be a good organiser. There is also a feeling in the MVA camp that the ruling parties will try to poach some of its (remaining) leaders ahead of the crucial local body polls due in September-October. Time for ethics committee The seizure of ₹1.84 crore cash from a suite of a government rest house at Dhule during the visit of the state legislature's estimates committee has come as an embarrassment for the legislature. Police have begun investigation after Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders found the cash and alleged that it was meant for the committee members. Both the presiding officers of state legislature—legislative council chairman Ram Shinde and legislative assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar—have taken a serious cognisance of the incident. Shinde suspended Kishor Patil, the staffer of the legislature who was working for the ethics committee as the cash was found in his suite. Narwekar on Saturday said he would speak with leaders of all parties and form an ethics committee of the legislature. Several senior legislators feel the need to form the ethics committee which would draw guidelines and code of conduct for the legislators. About two decades ago, there was a move to form such a panel but nothing much happened. Maybe, this is the time for the legislature to take a hard look at the functioning of some of their own. Setback for Pawar Sr Satyajit, son of former minister Vikramsinh Patankar who is considered a close aide of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, joined the BJP last week. For over two decades, senior Patankar was the MLA from Patan in Satara and has also served as a minister in the Congress-NCP government. He is also a respected figure in Satara. Since 2014, his son Satyajit contested two assembly elections in his place but lost to Shambhuraj Desai of Shiv Sena. Patankar and Desai families have a long-standing feud. Satyajit was unhappy as Pawar conceded the seat to Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in last year's assembly elections. Significantly, BJP scored over Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which was also wooing Satyajit to join its fold.
