Mumbai: Maratha quota Activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday ended his five-day-long hunger strike at Azad Maidan after the Maharashtra government assured him of fullfilling key demands of the Maratha community.
The key demands include:
- Implementation of the 'Hyderabad Gazetteer'. Since the names of Maratha individuals were absent in the Hyderabad GR, it has been proposed that if villagers, family members, or relatives from the same lineage already hold Kunbi caste certificates, an inquiry will be conducted and certificates will be issued accordingly.
- Implementation of the 'Satara Gazetteer' within 15 days: The government assured that complications related to scrutiny of names at the local level in some areas will be resolved within this period.
- Withdrawal of cases against Maratha protesters to be completed before September 30: This will provide major relief to thousands of protesters facing legal action from earlier agitations led by Jarange.
Compensation to the kin of deceased protesters within a week, along
with a government job for one family member. The government had
sanctioned Rs15 crore for this purpose, but the distribution was pending
that will be done in a week.
Display of 58 lakh Kunbi records in every gram panchayat office to
enable people to apply for a reservation.
The Shinde Committee had identified 58 lakh Kunbi records in Marathwada, which many were unaware of. This decision will help Marathas at the village level verify their names in government records and apply for caste certificates.
Scrutiny of caste certificates to be completed within 90 days by the
district administration. This will benefit Kunbis who had already
applied for caste certificates but could not avail benefits due to
delays or non-issuance.
Pending Demands: The government has sought two months’ time to declare Kunbis and Marathas as one community, citing legal complications in scrutiny and implementation across various parts of the state.
The government has sought more time to decide on granting reservation
to “Sage-Soyare” (distant relatives of Kunbi certificate holders), as it
has received around 8 lakh suggestions and objections that are still
under scrutiny.
