Activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday (August 6) said that the Maratha community is left with no other option other than to get political power to get reservation and asked them to prepare for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly Elections. Jarange expressed confidence that the Marathas would come to power in the state after the polls are held, due in October. He said that he does not have any desire to enter politics but added that he might be compelled to do so due to the necessity to secure Maratha reservation.
What did Jarange say?
He said that the Marathas, Muslims and Dalits would bring about a significant change in the elections, as the “wave” seen in the Lok Sabha Elections this year.
Jarange has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. However, a number of OBC leaders have opposed it and demanded that their reservation should not be diluted.
"We have no option but to enter politics and come to power if we want to get reservation for the Maratha community," Jarange stated.
He asked those aspiring to contest elections to prepare for the elections while hinting that a decision regarding their political entry would be taken at a meeting on August 29. Jarange predicted that new faces would emerge victorious.
He said that while the leaders are associated with their respective parties, “the common people are with us”.
Jarange attacks Fadnavis
Jarange accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of inciting Maratha leaders against him. He alleged that Fadnavis had launched a campaign against the Maratha quota and claimed that some leaders of the community, at the behest of the BJP leader, were attempting to undermine the efforts to seek reservation.
Jarange also accused BJP leaders of attempting to incite communal riots, but asserted the Maratha community would thwart it. "We will foil the dream of Fadnavis to create unrest in the state. Maharashtra is a peaceful state where people of all religions and castes live harmoniously," he said.
In February, the Maharashtra legislature passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation to the Marathas, who comprise more than 30 per cent of the state's population, in education and government jobs under a separate category.
However, Maratha community members led by Jarange have been insisting on the influential caste's inclusion in the OBC category. Since August last year, the activist has launched multiple rounds of hunger strike in support of Maratha quota. On June 13, Jarange suspended his indefinite hunger strike and gave the government one month to accept his demands.
(With PTI inputs)
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