September 1, 2025

Mumbai is buzzing with tension as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange continues his hunger strike at Azad Maidan. He wants the Maharashtra government to grant all Marathas the Kunbi (OBC) status immediately. The police have given permission for one more day, but Jarange is not backing down. On Saturday, retired Justice Sandeep Shinde, head of the state quota panel, met Jarange. But the activist was clear: "I will continue the agitation till the state issues a government resolution declaring all Marathas as Kunbis." He also demands that Marathas with Kunbi roots, as noted in important gazetteers like Hyderabad and Satara, must get caste certificates. Why these gazetteers? Jarange explains, "The Hyderabad gazetteer recorded Marathas as Kunbis during the Nizam era." Remember, Marathwada was part of the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad state till 1948. He also says, "The government should issue a GR declaring Marathas as Kunbis by Sunday. I will not move until this is done. The Bombay and Aundh gazetteers can be implemented later." Warning shots are fired! Jarange warns, "Do not test our patience. As the agitation extends, all Marathas will leave their homes and come to Mumbai." The fire is only growing hotter. Jarange’s anger is also fixed on the state’s approach. He is unhappy the government did not send a cabinet minister to meet him but Justice Shinde instead. Looking back at his 2024 hunger strike in Navi Mumbai, he said, "Then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had come to mediate. I expected the government to come here, not the Shinde committee. Chief Minister Fadnavis has insulted the state legislature." He did not hold back on Fadnavis either: "It is because of the Chief Minister’s instructions that our people are being denied toilets, water and food. We want reservations, not politics. Fadnavis wants politics and does not want to give reservations. He always creates hurdles for the poor." Justice Shinde responded to media saying, "The government had given provisional approval for the Hyderabad gazetteer. The rest of Jarange’s demands will have to be placed before the cabinet." He added that the Maharashtra Backward Class commission must declare a community backward before full quota is granted. Until then, individual Kunbi quota applications can be accepted. Across the state, opposition leaders are backing Jarange. Ambadas Danve from SS (UBT) met him at Azad Maidan and connected him with party chief Uddhav Thackeray. Sharad Pawar of NCP (SP) said at a public event, "The path to increasing quotas was through a constitutional amendment. Tamil Nadu has 72% reservation. For this a constitutional amendment is required with parliament taking a decision." Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government tries to keep calm. A cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota led by BJP’s revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met but did not approach Jarange. CM Devendra Fadnavis kept busy with Ganpati events, including a darshan of Lalbagcha Raja with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Fadnavis called for calm and unity: "Politics can go out of the window. We do not want to pit one community against another, keep them at loggerheads and take political advantage of this. Whatever is possible within legal and Constitutional limits will be allowed." He added, "I want all political parties to take a stand on whether the Maratha quota should be granted from the OBC quota. On this issue, they are silent." The fiery Maratha quota drama continues to unfold in Maharashtra. Will Jarange’s hunger strike force the government’s hand? The next few days in Mumbai promise high drama and heated politics!

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Tags: Maratha quota, Manoj jarange, Kunbi obc status, Maharashtra politics, Eknath shinde, Devendra fadnavis,