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Hans India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Maha cabinet expanded, Chhagan Bhujbal takes oath as minister
In a simple ceremony, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday administered the oath of office and secrecy to veteran NCP leader and Samata Parishad founder Chhagan Bhujbal as a minister in CM Devendra Fadnavis's cabinet. The swearing-in took place in the presence of Chief Minister Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, ministers, government officers and party leaders, including NCP working president Praful Patel and state chief Sunil Tatkare. After the ceremony, Bhujbal said, 'I thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both the Deputy Chief Ministers, as well as Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel. I also thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Along with this, I also thank all the people, activists and office-bearers of my constituency of Yeola-Lasalgaon, all the office-bearers and activists of Samata Parishad. I also thank all those who have shown love and affection to me till now.' Bhujbal is expected to get the food and civil supply department, which he held in the previous governments headed by Uddhav Thackeray and then Eknath Shinde (2019-24). Bhujbal was sulking after he did not get the ministerial berth when CM Fadnavis expanded his cabinet on December 15. He had openly expressed his displeasure to the party leadership, citing that he had been dropped despite vigorously taking up the OBC cause of the party during the Assembly elections held last year. He had subsequently abstained from several party engagements, but after the intervention of party president Ajit Pawar and working president Praful Patel, he started taking part in organisational functions. Further, he was furious after his nomination was not considered twice for the Rajya Sabha elections in the past. NCP president Ajit Pawar, along with working president Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, took a unanimous decision paving the way for Bhujbal's induction in the cabinet. NCP needed a formidable and strong OBC face in the cabinet especially after another OBC leader Dhananjay Munde had to resign during the budget session of the state legislature held in March in connection with the brutal killing of the Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde was holding the food and civil supply department, and after his exit, it was looked after by Dy CM Ajit Pawar. Bhujbal's induction is politically important for the NCP, especially when the Supreme Court asked the state government to complete the process of local and civic body elections in four months. He has been at the forefront of the protection of OBC reservation in a major tussle against pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange. Moreover, Bhujbal has been a strong advocate of the caste-based census, which the Centre has recently cleared.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Caste census, Sharad Pawar factor, OBC politics: Why Chhagan Bhujbal is again man of the hour
At 77 years, Chhagan Bhujbal makes yet another comeback – returning to the Maharashtra Cabinet Tuesday, as the Mahayuti government seeks in him a strong OBC face, as a replacement for Dhananjay Munde. The induction of Bhujbal means the NCP retains its quota of ministers in the coalition, as well as placates the leader who had been upset over being denied a post in the Mahayuti government. Munde stepped down recently amid growing pressure over the alleged involvement of his aide in the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. A known survivor, Bhujbal has again demonstrated the trait that has helped him through the many ups and downs in his long political career, including a stint in prison. Since the Mahayuti government returned to power six months ago and he found himself out of a ministerial berth, Bhujbal has ensured he remained a weighty voice in state politics taking strong positions on contentious issues such as the proposed caste census. As the BJP government at the Centre bit the bullet on the issue, it made it more and more difficult for the Mahayuti to ignore Bhubal, with OBCs set to gain the most from a caste census. Bhujbal is believed to be one of the initial voices to have raised the issue of ascertaining the exact population of OBCs across the country. When the Centre said a caste census would be held along with the next Census, Bhujbal was among the first to cheer the Narendra Modi government's decision. For NCP chief Ajit Pawar, who is a Maratha, leading a party seen as essentially pro-Maratha, the appointment of Bhujbal as minister can be a countervailing force. Marathas have been at odds with OBCs over the issue of reservation, and Bhujbal has been one of the most prominent leaders opposing such a quota for Marathas. Bringing Bhujbal back in the tent is also useful for Ajit at a time when there is growing buzz of his party getting back together with the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar. Bhujbal continues to enjoy an excellent rapport with Sharad Pawar, despite going with Ajit in the NCP split. A week ago, commenting on a possible merger of the two NCP factions, Bhujbal said: 'If families which have strained relations reunite, it is a happy moment. The coming together of the NCP and NCP (SP) will make us stronger collectively.' With his return to the Cabinet Tuesday, Bhujbal has shut the naysayers who predicted that his non-induction as minister after the 2024 Assembly polls meant the beginning of the end for him. A senior NCP leader requesting anonymity had then observed, 'Bhujbal has held important posts both in the government as well as the organisation. Now, he has to take a backseat and make way for youngsters.' It wasn't the first time someone underestimated Bhujbal, who once upon a time made a living as a fruit vendor. His lucky break came with his association with the late Sena founder Bal Thackeray. After securing a diploma in mechanical engineering, Bhujbal joined the Sena under Bal Thackeray's leadership, and climbed the rungs after starting out as a corporator. In 1991, when he left the then united Sena to join the Congress along with 16 MLAs, he dealt a big blow to the party and Thackeray himself. The mastermind behind it was believed to be Sharad Pawar, then a Union Defence Minister, though the Thackerays' Maratha politics also played a role. Later, when Sharad Pawar founded his own party, the NCP, in June 1999, parting ways with the Congress over Sonia Gandhi's 'foreign origins', Bhujbal joined him. He went on to become the NCP president, and held important portfolios in governments in which the NCP was a part. On July 2, 2023, he surprised many by siding with Ajit Pawar in his rebellion against Sharad Pawar. The belief of many was that Bhujbal was seeking peace with the BJP, as he was facing many corruption allegations. He had already spent a two-year stint in jail (2016-18), and was understandably wary. After Ajit Pawar's NCP tied up with the BJP, Bhujbal was among the top choices for minister. Now he returns there, the hiatus over.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘Caste census data could open Pandora's Box in Maha'
MUMBAI: Although all political parties have welcomed the central government's resolve to include a caste census as part of the national census, experts and officials are citing the upheaval over caste-based quotas that Maharashtra has been witnessing over the last decade and have expressed apprehensions about the potential unrest within and between communities once the micro-level data is revealed. Petitioners fighting for Maratha reservation and those arrayed it said the caste census would open a Pandora's Box. Their contention is that it will not help weed out backwardness with the aid of reservation, as there is no room for more of the latter. At the same time, they maintain that reducing the existing quota on the basis of population will not be easy for political reasons and could lead to more tussle within communities. Most social organisations have welcomed the central government's step. OBC reservation petitioner Mrunal Dhole Patil said that it would help in determining an accurate percentage of castes, paving the way for proportionate representation in politics, scholarships and jobs. 'In independent India, every census has been a caste census, as it has determined the SC-ST population,' she said. 'The OBC reservation came into effect in the early 1990s, but no caste-based survey has been conducted since then. The proposed step, by scientifically ascertaining the percentage of castes, will curb the disputes on the reservation given to them.' Dhole Patil said that though many commissions and committees had been appointed by the government in the wake of reservation-related issues, they did not stand up to legal scrutiny. 'The caste-based surveys by Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana were always contested for their sanctity, methodology and legal standing,' she said. 'Besides, these commissions always tend to be biased, as they are constituted with a specific purpose in mind unlike the caste census.' Balasaheb Sarate Patil, a pro-Maratha reservation petitioner said that the caste census was an 'unconstitutional' step. 'The constitutional objective of a caste census was never the reinforcement of caste identity,' he said. 'Though we legalised the caste system by issuing caste certificates post-independence, the caste census will give the caste system an eternal face. According to the Constitution, reservation should always be based on the socio-economic condition of a community or family and not on caste.' Sarate Patil added that the revelation of caste percentages would lead to the deprivation of marginal communities, as they would lose political importance when it came to their voicing power in the political system. The reservation activist also dubbed the caste census 'anti-Hindu'. 'Once the percentage of sub-castes is revealed, it will lead to infighting within communities,' he said. 'Since the Hindu religion has a greater number of castes and classes than other religions, the census will result in Hindus fighting among themselves.' A Mantralaya official dealing with reservation-related issues said that the census could lead to a demand for sub-classifications within the reservation quota. 'Despite the Supreme Court order of sub-classification of the scheduled caste quota last year, the implementation has halted because of fear of a backlash,' he said. 'A similar situation may arise if the quota is determined on the basis of population share in the future.' The official pointed to the Banthia Commission's revelation of OBCs being only 38% while their reservation quota was based on their projected percentage of 52%. 'Reports of commissions constituted for Maratha reservation have also said that the population of the community is less than projected,' he said. 'If this is revealed in the caste-based census, there will be a demand for a reduction in their quota.' Idris Multani, the BJP's minority cell chief, said that the caste census would help the Muslim community the most. 'The backward castes, called Pasmandas, are 80% of the Muslim community,' he said. 'Most of the political, social and financial benefits are reaped by the Ashrafs, the wealthy 20% of Muslims. There are hardly any Pasmanda Muslim MPs or MLAs, and the situation is the same in other sectors. There could be a tussle between the Pasmandas and Ashrafs once the census is conducted, but it will ultimately help poor Muslims.' There are over 30 Muslim castes such as Beldar, Fakir, Ansari, Tamboli, Majawar and Maniyar, and most of them are in the OBC category. Shrihari Aney, former advocate-general of Maharashtra, said that the caste census could lead to unrest within communities and political exploitation but it would nevertheless provide a fundamental base to take corrective steps for equal opportunities. 'It will give access to the factual data that we do not have currently, and will result in application of mind in matters of reservation in jobs and education,' he said. Aney added that though the Constitution was against the identification of caste, it did not stop governments from the mandatory steps related to the reservation to castes, which was what happened in the case of the OBC quota. 'As for the reservation issues in Maharashtra, if the census reveals adverse data for the Maratha community, they could stage an uproar and resist corrective steps,' he said. 'But that should not stop anybody from creating a base for addressing problems.'
