Pune: OBC activists on Tuesday launched the ‘Chalo Mumbai’ agitation to counter Maratha activist Manoj Jarange’s ongoing hunger strike; however, differences among the OBC activists surfaced on the very first day of the protest. The National OBC Federation distanced itself from the movement, claiming that the protesters’ demands were not clear.While Jarange’s hunger strike entered its fourth day on Tuesday to pressure the govt to accept his demands regarding the Maratha quota, OBC activist Laxman Hake and others began their agitation from Pune’s Daund tehsil. They appealed to OBC community members to reach Mumbai for a show of strength to safeguard existing OBC reservations. Although the police denied permission for the rally, Hake and his supporters were initially stopped by Pune rural police in Daund. After a brief argument, the OBC protesters resumed their journey to Mumbai.Speaking about the agitation, Hake said, “Even if the police take action, we will not stop. We are appealing to all OBC members from across the state to come to Mumbai and join the protest to safeguard the community’s existing reservation.”The National OBC Federation chief, Babanrao Taywade, declined to support Hake, stating that his federation would not be participating. Taywade said, “Our federation is a demand-based organisation. The protesters have not presented any specific demands, and without understanding their objectives, we will not participate in the agitation.”Mangesh Sasane, another OBC activist participating in the march, said, “We are appealing to community members to join us to pressure the govt to ensure that the Maratha community is not given reservation through the existing OBC quota. If the govt succumbs to Jarange’s pressure and decides to allot Kunbi certificates to the entire Maratha community, the existing OBCs will never be able to get their reservation benefits.”
