MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Friday made a fresh demand that the Maharashtra government amend its free education policy to include all Marathas until the benefit of reservation becomes available for the entire community.
He and his supporters would enter Mumbai on Saturday for their planned protest at Azad Maidan ground if their demands were not met, he warned.
Addressing a rally at Shivaji Chowk in Vashi area of neighbouring Navi Mumbai where he arrived in the morning with thousands of his supporters, Jarange said he would stay put in Navi Mumbai for the day. He also started his hunger strike from Friday morning
Jarange Patil said if the government was unable to provide the quota immediately to the community, then they should issue a GR (government resolution) providing free education from KG to PG for the community students.
“If the government insists on carrying out recruitment for government jobs, it should keep vacant the posts for the community. Government should also withdraw police cases filed against pro-quota protestors,” Patil said while addressing community rally in Navi Mumbai.
He added that the government should issue an ordinance giving Kunbi certificates to all blood relatives of 57 lakh Marathas whose genealogical references are found as Kunbi in old revenue and other records. “Such certificates should be issued immediately through an affidavit affirming Kunbi lineage. Verifications can proceed later,” he added.
The Kunbis are a peasant sub-caste of Marathas but get reservation benefits under the OBC category in Maharashtra. Jarange-Patil also started his hunger strike from Friday morning. He will continue to stay at Vashi on Friday and wait till 12 noon on Saturday after which he will lead a march to Azad Maidan. He told his supporters that he met delegations of the state government who had accepted all demands.
Jarange ups ante
From January 20, Jarange has re-launched his protest and started marching towards Mumbai from Jalna along with hundreds of his supporters over the demand of Maratha quota under the OBC category in jobs and education.