Jarange-Patil steps up attack on govt, seeks reply on quota within Dec 17

The prominent face of Maharashtra quota agitation is going ahead with his third round of agitation.

Mumbai: Even as the Maharashtra legislature is discussing the Maratha reservation issue, Jalna-based activist Manoj Jarange-Patil mounted pressure on the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP Maha Yuti government by asking it to inform by December 17 what steps it has taken so far to ensure quota for the community.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, who were to go to New Delhi on Friday, will not visit the national capital to hold deliberations on multiple issues with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Jarange-Patil, the founder of Shivba Sangathana is planning the third round of agitation.

“We've announced that by December 24, the government must ensure reservation to the Maratha community. However, we want to know what steps have been take so far by the government,” Jarange-Patil told reporters on Friday.

“The government must inform us what it has done so far by December 17…we're meeting on that day and would take a call on the road ahead. We'll prepare for the final agitation,” he said.

On the issue of the curative petition being filed in Supreme Court, he said: “That's one of the success of the agitation.”

He added that Maratha community needs to get reservation within the 50 per cent cap of the Supreme Court so that it passes the test of law.

Jarange-Patil had undertaken the first hunger strike from August 29 to September 14, which he broke after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured the demands of issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas in Marathwada region and looked at options to give blanket reservation to the community.

Thereafter, Jarange-Patil undertook a tour of various districts in the state and the deadline given ended on October 24.

From the very next day, he again undertook the hunger strike which he ended on November 2 after nine days after a delegation comprising Justice M G Gaikwad (Retd), Justice Sunil Shukre (Retd), Jalna’s District Collector Dr Shrikrishnanath Panchal and Superintendent of Police Shailesh Balkawade met him.

Later a four-member ministerial delegation comprising Dhananjay Munde, Sandipan Bhumare, Uday Samant and Atul Save explained to him the position. The scope of Kunbi certificates have now been extended to the entire state.

Jarange-Patil had set December 24 as the deadline to ensure blanket reservation to Marathas and has rejected the government's request for the January 2, 2024 deadline.