Mumbai: With Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil set to begin an indefinite hunger strike on May 30, the Maharashtra government on Friday stepped up efforts to defuse tensions by sending a delegation to meet him at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district.
Senior ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and BJP MLC Prasad Lad held discussions with Jarange and briefed him on measures taken regarding Maratha reservation and the distribution of Kunbi caste certificates.
Vikhe Patil said the government has prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) to streamline issuance of Kunbi certificates and expedite large-scale distribution. He acknowledged delays due to administrative lapses and said action had been initiated against negligent officials.
He said village-level committees had been formed to create awareness and assist applicants in the certification process. Referring to Hyderabad Gazette records linked to Kunbi documentation, Vikhe Patil said while specific entries were unavailable, numerical records existed.
Jarange has also demanded withdrawal of criminal cases registered against protesters during the Maratha reservation agitation. Vikhe Patil said the government had withdrawn 567 of the 668 cases, while 191 cases remain pending before courts.
“The government is examining what legal steps can be taken regarding the remaining cases,” he said. The minister added that nearly 12 lakh certificates had been processed from around 58 lakh records identified so far.
Meanwhile, a day before the proposed fast, Jarange accused the government of discriminating against the Maratha community and subjecting it to a “cruel trial by fire”.
He reiterated that the agitation would begin at 10 am on Saturday and described it as the “toughest” and most “unprecedented” protest so far. “We will not step back unless every demand is accepted in writing. We are not ready to give the government any more time,” Jarange said. Those appointed to read Persian, Urdu and Modi language documents were not given salaries so they left their jobs after a month, Jarange claimed.
He said Kunbi certificates should be given as quickly as possible along with scholarships to students under the state government's SARTHI scheme.
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