Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil declares fast unto death for Maratha quota from June 4

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the issue of Maratha reservation is likely to flare up as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil declared on Tuesday that he will restart the agitation for the same. He has announced that he will sit on a fast unto death in Jalna from June 4 and will also be holding a huge rally in the neighbouring district of Beed on May 8.

The Maratha activist has demanded a law that will validate that there is no difference between Marathas and Kunbis, thus making the entire Maratha community eligible to get a reservation as Kunbi under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. In Maharashtra, Kunbis are a sub-caste of Marathas but are getting a reservation under the OBC category.

Jarange-Patil also demanded the implementation of a draft notification that was issued by the state social justice department in January for providing reservation to blood relatives of Marathas based on affidavits filed by those having Kunbi antecedents. He has also threatened to field candidates in all 288 seats in the state assembly elections if the state government does not fulfil the demands.

"I am starting my fast unto death from June 4. On June 8, I will also be holding a massive rally at Narayangad in Beed. I want the government to implement the 'sage-soyare' rule and a law to declare that Marathas are Kunbis," Jarange-Patil told reporters on Tuesday.

From the sage-soyare (meaning relatives by blood and by way of marriage) rule, he was referring to a draft notification issued by the state social justice department that states, "...upon submitting an affidavit by the applicant establishing the relations with his blood relatives i.e. Uncle, Nephew and other members of his family as well as patriarchal relatives who have found Kunbi records being the applicant's Sage-soyare and after verifying such Kunbi certificates of blood relatives and Sage-soyare by conducting field enquiry and verification, Kunbi caste certificate shall be issued immediately."

"I want to tell this to Devendra Fadnavis and CM Shinde to give us our rightful share. You have also promised to withdraw the cases. I don't want to enter into politics, but if the promises are not fulfilled, then we will contest elections on all 288 seats," Jarange-Patil pointed out.

The Maratha activist was lying low after the state government announced an SIT to probe violence during the Maratha agitation held last year. The state government has also passed a bill to give a 10% quota to the Maratha community, declaring them a socially and educationally backward class.