MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Sunday threatened to intensify his hunger strike from Sepetember 1 (Monday) by refusing to drink water, as part of his ongoing agitation demanding the inclusion of Marathas in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
Jarange Patil has been staging a protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, accompanied by thousands of Maratha supporters, to press for their reservation demands.
Speaking to the media, he said, “During the hunger strike, I was drinking water for the last two to three days. However, the state government is not taking our demands seriously and is merely buying time. Therefore, I have decided to intensify the protest by giving up water as well.”
He further said that historical records show Marathas and Kunbis are the same caste.
“According to the 1884 Hyderabad Gazette, based on a population survey and census, the term ‘Maratha’ does not appear anywhere in the Marathwada region, which was part of the Nizam regime.
Most people currently identified as Marathas were then classified as Kunbis. After independence and the merger of Marathwada with Maharashtra, old records were ignored, and new ones were created showing Kunbis as Marathas. The state government should accept the 1884 Hyderabad Gazette as an authentic document to establish the caste's genealogy. This would help Marathas from Marathwada obtain OBC certificates,” Jarange Patil demanded.
He also stressed the need to consider ‘Sage-Soyare’- in-laws from both sides of Kunbi-Maratha families, as belonging to the same caste and, therefore, eligible for OBC certificates.
“We are not demanding illegal reservations. We are asking for reservations within the constitutional framework that cannot be challenged in a court of law,” he said, further demanding that all cases filed against Maratha protestors be withdrawn.
Jarange Patil asserted that despite having genuine records, Marathas have been denied reservation for the last 70 years.
In response, the state government clarified that no such decision can be taken unilaterally. It pointed out that similar efforts in the past by individuals were challenged in the High Court and Supreme Court and were subsequently overturned.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule visited Azad Maidan to meet Jarange Patil. During her visit, her vehicle was blocked, and protestors raised slogans against her and her father, Sharad Pawar, accusing them of neglecting the Maratha community.
Sule later said her party is willing to help resolve the issue and called on the state government to convene an all-party meeting to find a solution.
Responding to this, Maharashtra Cabinet Sub-Committee Chairman and BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil stated that Sharad Pawar has no moral authority to speak on Maratha reservations.
“Sharad Pawar served as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister for four terms. What did he do for the Maratha community during that time?” he asked.
