Jalna: Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday declared he would launch a fresh round of indefinite fast to press for the Maratha community's demands, including reservation in jobs and education under the OBC category, and announce the date on Tuesday. Speaking to the media at Jalna district's Antarwali Sarati village, the site of his previous half a dozen hunger strikes in central Maharashtra, he said Maratha community members were welcome to join his fast.
Jarange's announcement has come at a time when the new Mahayuti government led by the BJP is settling down after a mega cabinet expansion on December 15. The 42-year-old activist informed that he would declare the date of the fast on Tuesday.
He emphasized the fast would be open to all Maratha community members, but clarified there was no compulsion in participating in the hunger strike, part of a wider state-wide quota agitation spearheaded by him. "Anyone from the community who is willing to join the fast is welcome. There is no pressure on anyone," Jarange stated.
The activist argued the BJP-led government must show its intent to resolve the quota issue by taking concrete steps during the winter session of the state legislature which is being held in Nagpur. "The government has already expressed its commitment to addressing the Maratha community's demands. Now, we expect them to show their sincerity and dedication by taking concrete steps during the session," he insisted.
He asked the government to implement the draft notification of Sage soyare (closed relatives), the Hyderabad, the Bombay and the Satara Gazetteers declaring Maratha as kunbi. Jarange has been demanding implementation of a draft notification that recognises Kunbis as ‘sage soyare’ (those related by birth or marriage) of Marathas and granting reservation in jobs and education to the latter under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. The agrarian Kunbi community already gets quota benefits under the OBC category.
He has also demanded speeding up the work of the Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde Committee set up by the Maharashtra government to expedite the process of granting Kunbi certificates to members of the Maratha community, making them eligible for quota.
In February this year, the state legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category. However, Jarange has been insisting on quota to the community under the OBC head.
