Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil begins his fast unto death. The Police have not permitted him for the fast. Jarange has been demanding the issuance of a blanket Kunbi (OBC) caste certificate to all Marathas in the state. The Supreme Court had quashed the Maharashtra law granting reservations to Marathas in admissions and government jobs in 2021.
Jarange, who hit the headlines for going on fasts unto death several times last year to demand reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs, also had said that the Maraths community has not taken any political stand in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections though there is simmering anger against the establishment.
On Saturday, the activist, however, said that if the Maratha reservation is not provided this time, he will contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections. A massive gathering of the Maratha community was held at Narayangad in Beed district, indicating that the agitation will be revived ahead of the state elections.
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.
Earlier this year, Jarange marched to Mumbai with lakhs of people. Following protests, the Maharashtra legislature in February unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category.
