Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil is set to resume his hunger strike on Monday in Maharashtra's Jalna district. According to the information, Patil will sit on a hunger strike in Antarwali Sarati village. The strike is part of his ongoing demand for reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Patil has been a vocal advocate for the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category, pushing for the community to be granted the same benefits as other castes listed under the OBC framework. His demand stems from the broader movement within the Maratha community, which has been fighting for quotas in government jobs and educational institutions.
Jarange Patil's earlier protests and hunger strikes had garnered significant support from the Maratha population, resulting in statewide discussions and demonstrations. The Maharashtra government had initiated talks to address the issue, but no resolution has been reached thus far.
What are Jarange Patil's demands?
Though the government agreed to issue a 'Kunbi' (an OBC community) caste certificate to eligible Marathas, his demand that all Marathas be given reservation in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category has not been fulfilled. Earlier this year, assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar had directed the government to set up a Special Investigation Team to conduct a comprehensive inquiry after Jarange made some controversial remarks about Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. If the demands are not met, the Maratha community will field candidates in all 288 assembly seats in the state elections due later this year, and they will represent all the communities, Jarange Patil had told the media.
Maratha quota agitation
Earlier in the month of May, Jarange Patil said the Maratha community will teach Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government a lesson for denying reservations and registering criminal cases against protestors. The Maratha quota agitation intensified in September 2023 after police lathi-charged protesters at Antarwali Sarati, in Marathwada region’s Jalna district, where Jarange had launched an indefinite hunger strike. It was followed by violent agitations in Beed and other areas of Marathwada in October, eventually forcing the government to hold talks with him.
(With inputs from PTI)
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