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First round of talks fails, Manoj Jarange-Patil to continue hunger strike
The quota activist, who stormed into Mumbai with 25,000 supporters on Thursday night and Friday, has demanded reservations for all Marathas
MUMBAI: The first round of discussions between Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and the Maharashtra government on Saturday failed, prompting him to continue his hunger strike at Azad Maidan.
The police have allowed the protesters to continue their agitation at Azad Maidan, extending it by a day till Sunday.
While the BJP-led Devendra Fadnavis government did not initiate talks with Jarange-Patil on Friday, when he began his fast, it sent a three-member committee to meet him on Saturday, to brief him on steps being taken by the government and to request him to withdraw his agitation to give the state more time to consider his demands.
The quota activist, who stormed into Mumbai with 25,000 supporters on Thursday night and Friday, has upped to ante on his demand for reservations for all Marathas. He wants the state government to issue Kunbi certificates to the entire Maratha community so that they can avail reservations under the OBC category.
He has also demanded that the government accept Nizam-era documents, also known as the Hyderabad Gazette, and similar gazettes issued by erstwhile rulers, that reportedly contain documentary evidence of Maratha–Kunbi lineage, based on which Kunbi certificates can be issued to Marathas. Kunbi is a peasant sub-caste of the Maratha caste and they already avail quota benefits under the OBC category.
The three-member delegation that met Jarange-Patil comprised retired Justice Sandeep Shinde, Konkan divisional commissioner Vijay Surywanshi and member-secretary of the cabinet sub-committee, Ganesh Patil. Justice Shinde heads a committee that has been examining records to establish Maratha-Kunbi lineage.
The Maratha activist said the state must issue a government resolution on the issuing of Kunbi certificates based on the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes on Sunday itself. He said he was prepared to give more time to examine the other two gazettes.
To step up his agitation, Jarange-Patil said the government should take his demands seriously or he would rally other members of the Maratha community to march towards Mumbai by the end of next week.
“You will not find a single Maratha in their home from next Saturday and Sunday. You will have only six to seven days to resolve the issue,” the quota activist said, during his discussions with the government’s representatives. “I urge the government to accept our demand. Do not insult the poor Marathas.”
Jarange-Patil was not pleased with the government sending mediators. Rather, he said, they should have sent ministers “who have powers to take a decision”. He remarked, “I was expecting those in the government to come for talks, not members of the Shinde committee,” said Jarange-Patil. “The government is deliberately putting them forward who do not have the power to issue a government resolution (GR).” He added, “CM Devendra Fadnavis is insulting the law-making bodies,” he stated.
Earlier, the cabinet sub-committee empowered to take decisions relating to Maratha reservations decided to give in-principle approval to accepting the Hyderabad Gazette to issue Kunbi certificates to Marathas. Justice Shinde, who was part of the delegation that met Jarange-Patil on Saturday, confirmed this.
“The cabinet has given in-principle approval to the Hyderabad Gazette. But Jarange-Patil has his own views, which will be placed before the cabinet and a decision will be taken,” he said, after meeting the quota activist at Azad Maidan.
The cabinet sub-committee is headed by senior BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who heads the water resources department.
The Shinde committee was set up in September 2023 to determine the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), including a legal and administrative framework, to allot caste certificates to members of the Maratha community.
When Shinde asked for six more months, Jarange-Patil said they have been examining documents for the last 13 months. “If the government decides, the issue can be resolved in ten minutes,” he said. It was then pointed out that the Shinde committee had approved 2.39 lakh Kunbi certificates for Marathas during the same period.
Justice Shinde conveyed details of the discussion with Jarange-Patil to Vikhe-Patil at his official residence. The senior minister communicated this to Fadnavis, according to government officials.
In the afternoon, Vikhe-Patil said the government was open to further discussions if issues are resolved in the meeting between the government-appointed delegation and the quota activist. “The demands raised by him were discussed and we have made a few decisions, which will be communicated to Jarange-Patil. If required, we are ready to discuss some more,” he told the media outside the Sahyadri Guest House.
Meanwhile, the presence of thousands of quota protestors continued to create traffic snarls in South Mumbai. The crowd swelled in the morning, which led to traffic jams for hours. Additional forces had to be deployed to control the activists and facilitate traffic near Azad Maidan. A large group of protesters also barged inside the Jehangir Art Gallery, where they squatted for hours and raised slogans.
Union home minister Amit Shah was also in Mumbai on Saturday. He was briefed by Fadnavis on the ongoing agitation in the heart of the country’s financial capital.
On Saturday, Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena), leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, met Jarange-Patil to extend their support to the agitation. He also arranged a telephonic conversation with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has already extended his party’s support to the Maratha cause.
Constitutional amendment needed: Pawar
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the central government should amend the Constitution to raise the limit on reservations so that Marathas can avail OBC quota benefits.
“Amending the Constitution (to raise the current 52% cap on quotas) is the only way to resolve the Maratha reservation issue,” Pawar told the media while breaking his silence on the agitation in Mumbai.
After the centre’s decision to provide a 10% quota for economically weaker sections, the existing quota hit 62% in Maharashtra as the state extended a separate 10% reservation in government jobs and education to Marathas. However, this is pending the court’s nod. Pawar said parliament will have to take a decision on extending the quota by way of amending the Constitution.
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