Have faith, our people in Marathwada and western Maharashtra will get reservation: Jarange

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Members of the Maratha community will now get reservation in Marathwada and western Maharashtra, said quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday, appealing to his supporters to maintain calm and have faith in his decision.

The 43-year-old activist, who returned from Mumbai after ending his hunger strike, was talking to reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he is receiving medical care in a private hospital for dehydration and low blood sugar.

“We have scored a victory, and the credit goes to the Maratha community. Maratha people from Marathwada and Western Maharashtra will now get quota,” he said.

Jarange on Tuesday ended his five-day-old fast after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates, which will allow them to avail of quota in education and jobs enjoyed by Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

The activist called off his hunger strike in the presence of senior BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, and other members of the panel at south Mumbai's Azad Maidan, the site of his agitation since August 29.

“Not a single line had been written by the state government in our favour till now. People should not believe in the ‘joker-type’ individuals (who have criticised his move). Those speaking against the decision have done nothing for the Maratha community,” Jarange said.

The activist said the members of his community will eventually understand his decision to call off the agitation. “No Maratha in the Marathwada region will be left out of quota,” he said, adding that village-level committees will be made to help Marathas establish their Kunbi lineage.

“The community is happy, I am happy,” he said.

The state on Tuesday issued a government resolution (GR) on the Hyderabad gazetteer and announced the formation of a committee to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who are able to produce documentary evidence recognising them as Kunbis in the past. A village-level mechanism will be put in place for this, said the government.

“The community should maintain peace and have faith (in his decision). Everything is perfect, and if anything goes wrong, we will get it corrected. I have the word for this from the people who came to meet me yesterday (Tuesday),” Jarange said.

Asked about state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who has been opposing reservation to Marathas under the OBC category, skipping the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Jarange said, “That means he is a clever leader. It also means that the Maratha community has succeeded in getting reservation.” Jarange also claimed that attempts to take the matter to court will fail as the “GR cannot be challenged”. “The petitions will be dismissed as the GR is based on a government document like a gazette,” he added.