Manoj Jarange refuses to end hunger strike, seeks Kunbi certificates for Marathas

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange refused to end his seven-day hunger strike, demanding Kunbi certificates for eligible Marathas. He sought a government resolution by September 12, backed Dhangar ST reservation and criticised Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s opposition

Jalna (Maharashtra): Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Friday refused to call off his hunger strike, which entered the seventh day, until his demands about allotment of Kunbi caste certificates were fulfilled. Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village in the district, he demanded a Government Resolution (GR) by September 12 regarding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas. A meeting of the Maratha community would be held in the village on September 12, he said.

The activist, who has undertaken several fasts for the reservation demand so far, also targeted senior OBC leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal who has been opposing the grant of reservation to the Marathas from the Other Backward Class quota. “I thought age would bring wisdom, but even in old age, there has been no change in his stand,” Jarange said. “The Maratha community will also move away from the Mahayuti….Is Chhagan Bhujbal the only person whose votes are behind the Mahayuti?” he said.

---

Granting reservation to the Marathas would not pose any threat to the OBC community, Jarange said, while also backing the Dhangar community’s demand for Scheduled Tribes (ST) reservation. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Maratha Cell recently set up by the state government and appointment of a nodal officer to deal with the issue, asking how would it lead to a permanent solution.

“The government must take action on our demands. We had given the government three years,” he said. The government should implement the Hyderabad State Gazette — which contains records of Maratha families identified as belonging to the agrarian Kunbi community — and clarify how caste verification would be carried out for certificates issued on its basis, Jarange said.

He has been demanding Kunbi certificates for Marathas as the Kunbis fall in the OBC category and can claim reservation. Reiterating his demand concerning 58 lakh Kunbi records identified by a government committee, Jarange said he would not withdraw his agitation until certificates were issued on the basis of the records.

On Thursday, a government delegation of Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Uday Samant and MLC Prasad Lad and MLA Makarand Patil had met Jarange and appealed him to end his fast in view of his deteriorating health. The government had traced around 58 lakh Kunbi records and would expedite the issuance of Kunbi certificates, Vikhe Patil had said. Maratha Kranti Morcha leader Sanjay Lakhepatil, meanwhile, criticised both Vikhe Patil — who heads the Maratha quota sub-committee of the Maharashtra cabinet — as well as Manoj Jarange.

In a statement, Lakhepatil slammed Vikhe Patil’s statement on the inclusion of Marathas in the quota in 1994, saying the comment shows he lacked basic knowledge of the Mandal Commission’s formation, its report, and the social status of the Maratha community. The earlier decision to simplify the process of issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas will not help, and it needs changes, he said.

The identity of the Maratha community should be kept intact while issuing Kunbi certificates as mentioned in the 1921 and 1931 gazettes of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, he said. Notably, large areas of central Maharashtra were part of the Hyderabad State. Jarange should stop criticising Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Lakhepatil further said. Shinde accomplished a lot during his tenure as Chief Minister and helped Maratha community members who had Kunbi records obtain certificates, Lakhepatil said. “A gratitude meeting” will be organised in Jalna and Shinde will be invited to it, he said.