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‘Even if Fadnavis government fires bullets’: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange vows to continue hunger strike
Maratha quota protest: Jarange refuses to budge, asks govt to issue GR based on available records
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday vowed to stop drinking water from the third day of his hunger strike and face “bullets” to press for reservation under the OBC category, intensifying his confrontation with the Devendra Fadnavis government.
The state government, meanwhile, said it would seek a legal opinion on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer on the Kunbi status, a category under OBC for the Maratha community.
Jarange, however, remained firm and said he won't budge from the protest site at Azad Maidan until his demands are met, even if the “Fadnavis government fires bullets at protesters.”
He called for the government to issue a GR (government resolution) on the Maratha reservation based on existing records.
“The government should say that Marathas are a sub-caste of Kunbis. There are 58 lakh records that have been found, which show links of Marathas as Kunbis. Those who want a reservation will take it. Don’t generalise Marathas as Kunbis if there is a legal issue,” Jarange said at a press conference on Sunday.
He added that no one can prevent Marathas from getting reservations under the OBC category. The Kunbi community is traditionally associated with agriculture and is classified under the Other Backward Classes.
The government said a cabinet sub-committee will seek a legal view on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer for Maratha OBC status. State minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the sub-committee, chaired two meetings on the quota issue during the day.
“I will meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and apprise him of the deliberations the sub-committee had. There is a Supreme Court observation regarding the recognition of Marathas as Kunbis. We cannot override the SC observations. We are open to discussions as a solution needs to be found,” Vikhe Patil said.
Jarange has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in South Mumbai since Friday, demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC category.
A delegation led by retired high court judge Sandeep Shinde met him on Saturday, but Jarange refused to soften his stance.
“The government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis. From tomorrow, I will stop taking water as the government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get the reservation for Marathas under the OBC category no matter what,” Jarange told his supporters.
With PTI inputs
