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Activist Manoj Jarange warns of fresh agitation if Maratha quota demand not met by Aug 26
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has given the Maharashtra government a deadline until Tuesday to announce reservation for the community. Failing this, he plans to begin a fresh protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from August 29.
Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday issued a strong warning to the Maharashtra government, asking it to declare reservation for the Maratha community "within the legal framework" by Tuesday (August 26). He stated that if the government met this demand, he would have no intention of travelling to Mumbai. However, he will move ahead with his plan to launch an agitation in the state capital if the government fails to meet his demands.
Protest call at Azad Maidan
Jarange has announced that a protest will be staged at Azad Maidan in Mumbai starting August 29, demanding reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He has been spearheading the campaign demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis -- an agrarian caste included in the OBC category — thereby making them eligible for reservation in education and government jobs.
Reliance on historical records for proof
The activist has stressed on the community's demand for the implementation of historical records, including the Bombay, Satara and Hyderabad gazettes, which he claims establish the Marathas' Kunbi identity. "Give us reservation that fits in the legal framework," Jarange said at a press conference at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, from where he plans to set out for the agitation on August 27.
Jarange criticises CM Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is taking a "stubborn stand" deliberately, he alleged. The government recently included 29 castes in the OBC category. This is like provoking the Maratha community people, the activist claimed. "The government has today and tomorrow. We have no interest in going to Mumbai, give us our reservation," he said. The state government headed last year announced 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community under a separate category, but Jarange has been insisting on the quota under the OBC category.
"The Maratha community has records (of Kunbis) and they should be given a quota. The 10 per cent reservation can be scrapped anytime and we don't want that. If the CM thinks that the OBC community follows them (BJP), then "we will also stand with him if reservation is given. I can overturn the government, if the quota is not given. I will not listen to anyone once I leave Antarwali Sarati," he said.
Calls to state leaders ignored: Jarange
Jarange also claimed he called all 288 MLAs in the state, including CM Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, over phone two months back and asked them to listen to "cries of the poor Maratha community". "We don't want to come to Mumbai if our demands are fulfilled by August 26. We said this two months back, and if the CM is not looking into our demands, then the people of Mumbai should ascertain who is stubborn," he added.
Background and significance
The demand for Maratha reservation has been a long-standing issue in Maharashtra, with multiple agitations over the years. The Maharashtra legislature had passed a bill granting 10 per cent reservation under a separate category last year, but Jarange insists on inclusion in the broader OBC quota, which currently stands at 27 per cent.