Jarange to launch hunger strike on Aug 29 over Maratha quota; sets June 6 deadline to meet demands

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 30 (PTI) Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday announced to launch a hunger strike on August 29 to press for his community's demand for draft notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into a law.

Speaking at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, he set the deadline of June 6 before the state government, saying if it fails to fulfil it, the community will go ahead with the hunger strike plan in Mumbai.

"We will go to Mumbai on August 29. We have given the 'Chalo Mumbai' call to the Maratha community as there is no alternative left for us. The government is not fulfilling our demands," he said.

"I appeal to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to fulfil the Maratha community's demand before 6 June. We have to get all our demands fulfilled by that time...It should happen before the (academic) admission process begins. If it is not done, then we will go ahead with our August 29 plan...We will not let anyone win the local governing body elections," Jarange warned.

He said the Maratha community was patiently waiting for the fulfilment of demands.

"On January 30 (this year), we suspended our hunger strike after being promised that our four demands will be implemented immediately and they sought three months to do so," he said.

"In order to ensure a better future for the community, we have decided to go to Mumbai and sit on a hunger strike. By that time, farmers will complete their sowing activity. Also, a lot of things are happening at present post the Pahalgam terror incident, which is an attack on our country," Jarange added.

The Maratha community members and their children will prosper only if they get reservation, he added.

Led by Jarange, the Maratha community has been demanding the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas, enabling them to get inclusion in the OBC category for reservation in government jobs and education.

The state government had set up the five-member panel headed by Justice Shinde to decide the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for giving Kunbi certificates to members of the Maratha community who (or whose ancestors) were referred to as Kunbis in Nizam-era documents.

Kunbis (the community associated with agriculture) are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra.

Praising the Justice Shinde Committee for submitting a report to the government, Jarange said, "The report will be accepted by the government and there is no doubt about it. I also applaud the government." On the Pahalgam terror attack, he said, "They (terrorists) should be fired ruthlessly. The entire country is with the government in this. When such attacks take place, they (enemy) should be reduced to ashes. Why are we keeping the bombs in the godown?"