JALNA: Reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday accused the Maharashtra government of betraying the Maratha community by failing to implement key promises and warned of launching a fresh hunger strike in Mumbai on August 29.
Addressing the media at Antarwali Sarthi village in Jalna district, Jarange said the state government had deceived the community by not fulfilling four major demands, despite repeated assurances.
“The government has once again betrayed the Maratha community. We have waited patiently for two years, but the time has come to rise. I urge all Marathas — don’t remain silent. Finish your farming in the next two months and get ready to march to Mumbai,” he said.
Jarange has been spearheading a campaign demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis — an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category — thereby making them eligible for reservation in education and government jobs.
He reiterated the community's demand for the implementation of historical records, including the Bombay, Satara, and Hyderabad gazettes, which he claims establish the Marathas' Kunbi identity.
He slammed the state administration for not issuing the promised gazette on the Sage Soyare notification and for delaying the release of Kunbi caste certificates, despite the collection of over 58 lakh documents supporting the Maratha-Kunbi link.
While Jarange appreciated the Shinde Committee’s efforts in uncovering relevant historical documents, he criticised government officials for failing to act on them.
He also condemned the state’s inaction on withdrawing cases filed against Maratha reservation protesters, calling it a breach of trust. “I will not back down this time. The government must act or face the consequences,” he warned.