Despite having granted the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government a month’s time to grant a foolproof reservation for the Maratha community, pro-quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Wednesday announced he would tour the State from September 30 to October 11 to further press for the quota demand.
Speaking in Jalna, Mr. Jarange Patil, who emerged as a prominent face of the renewed Maratha quota demonstrations last month, said that Shinde-led government would have to announce a quota for the Marathas after the end of the 40-day period (which ends on October 24) sought by the government to study the issue.
The activist informed that his tour would begin from Jalna’s Antarwali Sarati village, where he had launched his indefinite hunger strike on August 29 before calling it off after 16 days.
“After Antarwali Sarati, we will proceed to various taluks in Jalna, Nanded, Parbhani and other districts in the Marathwada region. We are going to seek the blessings of the Maratha community. The lowest levels of society need to be informed of the progress made by the government on the reservation issue,” he said.
Mr. Jarange Patil further said that while ordinary sections of the other backward classes (OBCs) too felt the poorer sections among the Marathas ought to be given reservation, it would not do for influential OBC leaders of ruling and Opposition parties to raise their voice and claim that the OBCs would be threatened by a Maratha quota.
“The OBC community fear that granting Marathas reservation would mean the need to accommodate more than 5 crore Marathas who would infringe on their reservations benefits. However, several Marathas in Vidarbha and elsewhere have already been given Kunbi OBC certificates in the past. So, why cannot the Maratha community in the Marathwada region and elsewhere be given Kunbi certificates?” said Mr. Jarange Patil, stressing the Maratha community did not wish any rise in tensions with the OBCs.
Mr. Jarange Patil, who has been fasting since August 29 at Jalna’s Antarwali Sarati village, had earlier given the Shinde government a month’s time to fulfil all demands, prominent among which include giving the Kunbi OBC community caste certificates to all Marathas, so that they may avail of benefits presently enjoyed by the OBCs.
The activist further said that the State government had no reason to read anything into his upcoming tour as it would be “peaceful” and that he would be appealing to Maratha youth not to take any extreme step during his visits to various districts.
“The Maratha community feels that CM Eknath Shinde can grant them reservation. For the last 75 years the Maratha community has supported all political parties and we have reposed our faith in them. So, there will be no ‘holiday’ for them when it comes to granting the Marathas a quota,” Mr. Jarange Patil said.
In a veiled warning, the activist further said he would see to it how the government did not give the Maratha community reservation after the end of 40 days.
“The government had said it would need this time to grant us a foolproof reservation which would hold in the Supreme Court. So, after the end of these 40 days, they should do not say find excuses from providing the community a quota,” said Mr. Jarange Patil.
The activist had called off his indefinite hunger strike on September 14 after CM Shinde had personally called on him in Jalna and persuaded him to do so. Mr. Patil had praised Mr. Shinde’s “bold decision” to personally call upon him, while remarking that the Maratha community looked up to the CM with “great hope” to grant them an enduring quota.
The CM had assured the community that a decision on the quota issue would be taken in 40 days’ time.
