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.
