Maratha quota activist Jarange ends indefinite fast, gives govt two months to resolve issue

PTI, Nov 3, 2023, 9:35 AM IST

Image source: X (Formerly Twitter)

Jalna: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Thursday ended his nine-day-old indefinite fast for Maratha quota, but warned of a bigger agitation if no action was taken in two months on giving reservation benefits to the community.

Jarange said he will lead a massive march to Mumbai if no decision was taken within two months. “Then people of Mumbai won’t even get vegetables,” he added.

His announcement at the fast site in his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district came after 4 state ministers met him and requested him to call off the indefinite hunger strike.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai later, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde thanked Jarange for calling off the fast.

“I have ended my fast, but the Maratha quota agitation continues. Relay fasts will also continue,” Jarange said, and asked the government to decide by December 24. The ministers present told him to extend the deadline to January 2, but he did not budge.

A delegation of retired Bombay high court judges Sunil Shukre, M G Gaikwad and some officials also met Jarange, who reiterated his demand for reservation for Marathas across Maharashtra.

He demanded “fool proof reservation” and asked the state government to give him its assurance.

The ministerial delegation included ministers from all three ruling parties, the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). It comprised Uday Samant, Sandipan Bhumre, Dhananjay Munde and Atul Save.

Jarange said he will not “touch the door of his residence” till all Marathas get reservation benefits. He also demanded that a date be fixed to revoke offences registered against Maratha quota agitators.

“Why Kunbi caste certificates can’t be given to Marathas even after over 13,000 records were found?” he asked.

Munde said the additional issues raised by Jarange will be taken up through an all-party proposal on December 8 during the winter session of state legislature in Nagpur.

“They (government) need 45 to 60 days for various committees to do their work for giving sustainable reservation to the Maratha community. We will meet our people from village to village in the meanwhile. If our demands are not accepted, we will sit on the boundary of Mumbai,” Jarange said.

The activist had said on Wednesday evening that he would not be drinking water, after an all-party meeting passed a resolution earlier in the day supporting the demand of quota and appealing him to call off his fast.

Jarange on Thursday demanded that the government provide enough funds and deploy multiple teams for the survey of the economic and social backwardness of the Maratha community.

A government order granting Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas should be passed and the word ‘throughout’ (Maharashtra) should be included, he said.

The government has already started the process of giving Kunbi certificates to Marathas from the Marathwada region who can produce old records referring to them or their ancestors as Kunbi. Kunbi, an agrarian community, gets reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

“When other castes are getting reservation benefits, why are Marathas not getting them?’ Jarange asked.

The delegation members told him that reservation cannot be given “in a day or two”, but the Maratha community will certainly get it.

Backwardness of the community has not been established yet and work of collecting evidence as per a Supreme Court order is underway, they said.

A decision taken in haste will not stand judicial scrutiny, and a new commission is being formed to measure the community’s backwardness, the delegation told Jarange.

The discussion with the ministers and retired judges took place on live TV, with thousands of Jarange’s supporters in attendance.

“We need fool proof reservation. Give me your word. If you break your promise, I will not give even a single minute more to the government,” Jarange said.

Marathas have been demanding reservation in education and jobs in Maharashtra. The movement was given fresh impetus after Jarange announced an indefinite fast over the demand.

The Maratha quota agitation recently saw violence erupt across the state, with several MLAs’ houses being set on fire.