Maratha activist Manoj Jarange has demanded the implementation of the draft notification of the sage-soyare (relatives from the family tree) and allocated Kunbi ( Maratha sub-caste covered under OBC) certificates.
The activist, who initiated the sixth indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday (September 17, 2024) midnight onwards, has been agitating since October 25.
He launched the stir from midnight at his native Antarwali Sarati village of Jalna distric
In all his recent protests, Mr. Jarange-Patil had warned the Maharashtra government to resolve the Maratha quota question or prepare to lose in the upcoming Assembly election expected to be held in November.
Speaking to the media, he said, “I won’t speak politically, now can you please grant us a reservation? Marathas are observing to see who will provide them with reservations. Later, nobody should blame me for any consequences.”
“How long is the government going to deceive poor people? It has been six to seven months, yet the Government Resolution (GR) has not been implemented. On the same dais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had assured of giving Kunbi certificates. What happened to that?” he added.
He said he also wants cases registered against several members of the Maratha community during his agitation earlier to be withdrawn.
"The Maratha community is important to me, but the government is not giving reservation deliberately. Moreover, they say that we are speaking a political language...I will not speak a political language now, but this is one more chance for Deputy CM Fadnavis," he said.
He said the government should consider the gazettes of Satara, Bombay and Hyderabad in order to provide reservation to the community.
"Students who are filling forms (for admission to educational courses) from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category are being removed without any reason. This should be stopped. All three options of EWS, OBC and Socially and Economically Backward (SEBC) should be kept open. The Maratha community candidates will choose one of them," he said.
Counting efforts taken to grant reservations, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “Our stand is clear- we are in favour of giving Maratha reservations without touching other quotas. We are not deceiving anyone, we will take steps that fit in the legal framework.” He was speaking after the Marathawada Mukti Sangram event at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Tuesday.
In February 2024, the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10% reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category, but Mr. Jarange has been firm on his demand for a quota to the community under the OBC head.
(With PTI inputs)
Published - September 17, 2024 12:22 pm IST
