'If betrayed over Maratha quota, we will make them bite the dust in polls': Manoj Jarange

The Maratha activist is currently admitted in hospital after calling off his 5-day-old hunger strike in Mumbai to press for reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Activist Manoj Jarange on Thursday warned that if Marathas face betrayal over quota, then the ruling parties in Maharashtra will be made to bite the dust in polls, and asserted that all members of the community would be included under the OBC category.

The quota movement leader was talking to reporters at a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he was admitted after calling off his 5-day-old hunger strike in Mumbai to press for reservation in education and government jobs for Marathas.

Jarange ended his stir on Tuesday after the Maharashtra government announced the formation of a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state.

"If the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes are not implemented in a month, we will make them (ruling parties) bite the dust in the upcoming elections. Step by step, I will ensure that the entire Maratha community is included in the OBC category," he asserted.

The activist said his struggle for reservation is for Marathas from across the state.

"The agitation will continue as the Marathas in the Konkan region are yet to be covered. The people of Konkan should avail themselves of the reservation benefits, or else they will regret it after 40-50 years. They should not listen to anyone and put their future generations in jeopardy," he said.

When reporters asked him about the move to form a cabinet sub-committee to expedite the welfare measures for the OBCs and resolve issues related to reservation, Jarange said they had no objection.

"If we get something, they (some OBC leaders) make demands. They always whine. But if OBCs benefit from it, we are happy. If the government is initiating such steps for OBCs, they should also constitute sub-committees for Dalits, Muslims, tribals and farmers," he added.

The emotive Maratha quota issue appeared to be far from settled after Maharashtra minister and prominent OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday openly expressed his displeasure over the government resolution (GR) issued to speed up the grant of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas.

Bhujbal even skipped a cabinet meeting and later indicated that he would mount a legal challenge.

Jarange also criticised those creating confusion over the quota issue.

"Even if anyone creates confusion over the issue, the Maratha community and I do not trust such people. Those who are creating confusion now and crying hoarse, were they asleep all this while? Why don't they attend meetings or agitations. They are not present anywhere and just appear on the television," he said.

Earlier, activist Vinod Patil, who had filed petitions in courts concerning the Maratha quota, dubbed the Government Resolution (GR) of granting Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas as completely useless.