Maratha activist Manoj Jarange ended his 9-day hunger strike after worrying that the Maratha community be granted reservation below the Other Backward Classes (OBC) class. The starvation strike aimed to stress the Maharashtra government to take quick action on the reservation problem.
Demand for Maratha reservation under OBC category
Jarange Patil has been insisting on the implementation of a draft notification declaring Kunbis also as nihawles soyare of the Maratha Community thereby entitling them to OBC and other privileges. This comes after the Maharashtra legislature last February where a bill was passed awarding Marathas a 10% reservation in higher education and government jobs under a special category, which Patil disagreed upon, asking for OBC inclusion instead which he argued was inadequate.
Antarwali Sarathi: Epicentre of the movement
It is in Antarwali Sarathi village that the Maratha Reservation movement is today locating itself. However, there seem to be challenges in including the Maratha in the OBC group. Stirrings in favour of the Maratha demand for OBC reservation have been countered by OBC activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare, who are waging a protest two kilometers away at Wadigodri village.
