Maratha quota: Jarange-Patil warns state govt to act on assurance before deadline ends on October 24

Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil warned that the Maratha community would intensify their peaceful protests if the state fails to provide reservation in government jobs and education within the 40-day deadline. Jarange-Patil also stated that Marathas should not have to prove their backwardness like other OBCs. Maratha outfits in Mumbai are planning a massive rally in the near future. OBC outfits have released minutes of their meeting with the government, which stated that the OBC reservation would not be disturbed and Kunbi certificates would be issued to Marathas in central Maharashtra after verification.

Members of Maratha community would show their real power if the state failed to provide reservation to Marathas in government jobs and education within the 40-day deadline, said activist Manoj Jarange-Patil in the city on Wednesday.

Mumbai, India – Oct 18, 2023: Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil come out of the media house, at Lower Parel, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, Oct 18, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

Jarange-Patil, however, said the community would not resort to violence. “The protest will be intensified in a peaceful manner and the government will not be able to tackle it,” he told reporters.

The Maratha reservation activist, who is on a two-day tour of Mumbai, met leaders from several Maratha outfits on Wednesday.

“The deadline for the reservation was not fixed by us, but it was an assurance given by the government. There is no reason for its extension as enough time has already been given to them,” he said. The deadline ends on October 24.

He claimed that Marathas had been tilling farms for decades and that was sufficient proof to get reservation on grounds of backwardness. “Most of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) people are getting quota benefits based on their profession and they did not have to prove their backwardness. Then why do you need certificates from Marathas to prove their backwardness.”

OBCs are being misguided that issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas will affect their quota, Jarange-Patil said. “Marathas in Vidarbha, Konkan, north Maharashtra and even in western Maharashtra have already been included in OBCs as Kunbis. Our fight is for the Marathas in central Maharashtra,” he said and added, “We want the state government to pass the law on the basis of the 5,000 documents that have been collected by the justice Sandeep Shinde committee.”

On September 14, Jarange-Patil called off his huger strike after 17 days at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna following an assurance by chief minister Eknath Shinde that steps would be taken to restore the reservation to Marathas within a month. The activist then gave the government 40 days to fullfill its promise.

Since then, he has held rallies in 13 districts in central Maharashtra and other parts of the state as part of his Samvad Yatra. Now, he is going to begin his second leg of the tour in western Maharashtra and will address rallies at Khed in Ratnagiri district, the Pawar family stronghold Baramati, and Indapur in Pune on October 20 and 21.

Maratha outfits in Mumbai are planning a huge rally in the near future. “We had to cancel a meeting at Shivaji Mandir in Dadar during his two-day tour. The Mumbai rally needs to be on a massive scale with proper arrangements,” Virendra Pawar, coordinator of Sakal Maratha Samaj, said.

OBC outfits release minutes of meeting

Members of OBC outfits have released a copy of the minutes of their meeting with Shinde, two deputy chief ministers and other ministers on September 29. The minutes stated that the OBC reservation would not be disturbed and Kunbi certificates would be issued to Marathas in central Maharashtra only after due verification of the old records.

The copy also stated that the state government was in favour of a caste-based survey of the OBCs. “However, the action plan for the survey should be flawless and should not lead to enmity between communities. The action plan will be finalised after studying it thoroughly.”

Babanrao Taywade, president of Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, said, “We have received a copy of the minutes that has assured us that the OBC quota would not be disturbed. The government should now act on its assurance.”