Mumbai: Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Monday refused to withdraw his proposed hunger strike from August 29 at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district, despite a meeting with a delegation of Maharashtra ministers who urged him to call off the agitation. Jarange reiterated his demand for reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and gave the state government time until August 28 to take concrete action on his demands.
Ministers meet Jarange at Antarwali Sarati but fail to convince him to call off protest
The government delegation, comprising ministers Shambhuraj Desai, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Uday Samant, met Jarange at Antarwali Sarati in the presence of members of the Maratha community and the media. The ministers sought to persuade him to reconsider his decision, but Jarange maintained that the proposed agitation would go ahead unless the government fulfilled its commitments.
A key demand raised by Jarange was the completion, by August 28, of the process of issuing Kunbi caste certificates and validity documents to eligible members of the Maratha community. He also sought the withdrawal of criminal cases filed against participants in previous Maratha reservation protests.
Jarange seeks Maratha reservation through existing OBC framework and historical records
Jarange maintained that the community was seeking reservation within the existing legal framework and on the basis of historical records dating back to 1967. According to him, Marathas whose records establish their Kunbi identity should be issued the relevant certificates, enabling them to avail themselves of OBC reservation.
During the meeting, Jarange questioned the progress made in examining historical records. Minister Uday Samant said nearly 58 lakh records had been scrutinised and several relevant entries had been identified, while some records were still being uploaded. Jarange, however, sought clarity on the exact number of valid Kunbi records identified from the documents examined.
Government facilitates discussion with Shinde Committee over certificate issue
The ministers also facilitated a discussion between Jarange and members of the Shinde Committee on the issue of certificates. Jarange insisted that eligible applicants should receive their Kunbi certificates and validity documents before the August 28 deadline.
He also alleged that ministers Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Sanjay Shirsat were creating obstacles in the reservation process and expressed dissatisfaction with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The government representatives rejected the allegation that the top leadership was obstructing the issuance of certificates.
Jarange alleges political hurdles while government denies obstruction claims
Jarange further claimed that in some cases officials were cancelling the validity of certificates and demanded that such cases be resolved immediately.
After the meeting, Vikhe Patil said the government was working to address administrative hurdles and loopholes in the issuance and verification of Kunbi certificates. He urged Jarange to reconsider the agitation and said the government expected to resolve the outstanding issues within two to three days.
Vikhe Patil acknowledged that there had been delays and mistakes in implementing the reservation process and warned that officials found deliberately obstructing the procedure would face strict action, including suspension.
Jarange, however, said assurances would not be enough and that the August 29 agitation would continue unless the government translated its commitments into concrete action.
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