Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange.
Credit: X/@JarangeManoj
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday warned his community members will 'not sit idle' after completion of a 40-day period given to the Maharashtra government to resolve the reservation issue.
Jarange was on a hunger strike in a village in Jalna district over his demand for reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and education under the OBC category, and ended his fast on September 14 on the 17th day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met him and assured to fulfil his demand.
The 40-year-old activist, currently on a statewide tour, had set a 40-day deadline before the Shinde government for taking steps to implement reservation for the Maratha community.
“Marathas and Kunbis (an OBC community) are one. Give us our reservation, keep yours to yourself. We do not want anyone's share. The Maratha community does farming and record of it is available everywhere. We have collected such records and the issue was discussed during my agitation. The government wanted 30 days to build a strong case for Maratha reservation," he said.
"In fact, the cabinet could have passed a proposal and given reservation, but they said this could not have survived (legal scrutiny). We have given 40 days to them instead of 30 days. But after the end of this duration, the community will not sit idle," said Jarange at a rally organized by the Sakal Maratha Samaj at Yeola, the assembly constituency of state food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, in Nashik district.
He appealed to Maratha community youths not to commit suicide on the reservation issue and warned his agitation was far from over.
"We will not stop until we get reservation which is our right,,” Jarange asserted.
Before the rally, Jarange was given a rousing welcome by his supporters and flowers were showered on him. A grand procession of Jarange was taken out in the town and he was felicitated by the Sakal Maratha Samaj.
He said Bhujbal and other OBC leaders should not oppose quota for the Maratha community.
“We treated you as our own. In the last 70 years, the Maratha community helped Bhujbal and leaders from all parties to make it big. They should keep this in mind and not oppose reservation for the Marathas. I will not stop till my community members get Kunbi certificates (which will allow Marathas to avail quota benefits),” Jarange maintained.
He appealed to his supporters and pro-quota individuals to attend a gathering of the Maratha community organized on October 14 at Antarwali Sarati village, where he had undertaken the 17-day-long hunger strike.