Jarange-Patil declares indefinite hunger strike from February 10

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has announced an indefinite hunger strike in Jalna from February 10, criticizing deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contradictory statements on the issue. Jarange-Patil is demanding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to all Marathas.

Barely three days after he called off his Mumbai march, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Tuesday announced an indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna from February 10 and came down heavily on deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for his contradictory statement.

Navi Mumbai, India - Jan. 27, 2024:Maratha Quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil ends protest after Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Government accepts all demands at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk Vashi, in Navi Mumbai, India, on Saturday, January 27, 2024. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

Despite the state government issuing a draft notification after a consensus last week, its leaders are talking in two voices, Jarange-Patil said after paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Raigad fort.

“The (draft) notification is strong enough to ensure issuance of Kunbi certificates even to the blood relatives (sage soyare) in the family tree. But the ambiguity on the stand taken by some leaders is a cause for concern. If the state government has assured us with the implementation of the notification, why has the deputy chief minister been talking about approaching the Central government,” he asked.

“The community is in doubt after the contradictory statements by the leaders. I, therefore, have decided to begin the protest again,” he added.

On January 20, Jarange-Patil began his march from Antarwali Sarathi, demanding issuance of Kunbi certificates to all Marathas that would entitle them to benefits under the quota earmarked for the OBCs. A day after he reached Vashi in Navi Mumbai, chief minister Eknath Shinde met him on January 27 and handed him a copy of the draft notification, promising to fulfill his demand in writing. Soon thereafter, the activist ended his march to Mumbai. The government has invited suggestions and objections to the notification until February 16 after which an ordinance is expected to be passed. The next day, January 28, Jarange-Patil declared to resume his protest until the first Kunbi certificate was issued.

Jarange-Patil on Tuesday questioned why the deadline was till February 16 when the mandatory timeline of the 15 days would end on February 9. “We are ready to give time till February 16 if the government wants, but they should start the implementation immediately from tomorrow. It is for them to decide how they want to do it. They can do so by convening a special session of the state legislature,” he said.

The activist also alleged that the committee, headed by retired Bombay high court judge Sandeep Shinde, to facilitate the issuance of the Kunbi certificates had stopped working in Marathwada and no new Kunbi documents were searched by it. He also reiterated his demand of making the Hyderabad gazette of 1984 and the Bombay state gazette available to the committee to help it find the pre-independence records related to Kunbi. He also expressed his dismay over the government’s failure to withdraw cases lodged against protestors during agitations.

In a related development, Maharashtra State Commission for Backward Classes (MSCBC) has extended the deadline for the survey being conducted across the state to check the backwardness of the Maratha community by two days.

The survey, which is being conducted through 1.5 lakh enumerators in 2.5 lakh households, will now continue till February 2. The MSCBC reviewed the status of the survey in a meeting on Tuesday.

“In some districts it has been completed 98% while it is around 75% in a few districts. The enumerators have been facing many issues, including technical glitches, non-cooperation from the people, and difficulty in understanding the data that requires to be fed in the application. We have answered all their queries and have given them two more days to complete it,” a member of the commission, who did not wish to be named, said.

The leader of opposition in the assembly and Congress leader, Vijay Wadettiwar, chaired a meeting of OBC outfits on Tuesday and announced a rally at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar on February 20.

“The draft notification issued by the state government will hurt the interest of the OBCs. It was issued by Shinde without approval from the state cabinet. We are not against the inclusion of Marathas who have proper documents but the relaxation in the norms has opened the floodgates for the inclusion of ineligible people in the OBC quota,” he said.