Manoj Jarange-Patil to launch fresh agitation

Mumbai: Even though the politically-dominant Maratha community now have a choice of getting reservation under two categories, Jalna-based Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is on a fast-unto-death, now has decided to launch fresh set of agitations from Saturday.

Jarange-Patil, the founder of Shivba Sanghatana, who is from the Antarwali Sarathi village in Ambad tehsil of Jalna, over the last six months have emerged as a face of the reservation campaign.

“The agitation continues…we would start fresh protests from February 24,” Jarange-Patil told reporters in his home village even as Ajay Maharaj Baraskar, his one-time associate, spoke out against the campaigner.

The development comes a day after the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Bill, 2024, paving way for 10 per cent reservation.

On the other hand, last year, the government, in a parallel exercise, had also searched for Kunbi-Maratha and Maratha-Kunbi records and as per Jarange-Patil’s claims 57 lakh records have been found.

Kunbis form a sub-caste of the Maratha and covered under OBCs - and thus the certificates would enable them to get reservation in jobs and education.

“The government has not given what we demanded. The special session was held for political reasons ahead of the elections. We have to safeguard the interests of the Marathas. They have given us the motorcycle but no petrol, so it's not acceptable to us,” he said, and reiterated the original demand to declare the Marathas as Kunbis and grant separate quotas from the OBCs, plus the formal notification of the ‘sage-soyare’, a Marathi term for ‘relatives from the family tree, which widened the scope of the quota.

From February 24, there would be daily roadblocks from 10.30 am-1 pm, and again from 4-7 pm, to avoid inconveniencing the students writing their board examinations besides processions and demonstrations in all villages, towns and cities.

Jarange-Patil went to the extent of saying that the government should not hold elections till the Maratha quotas are given as per the original demand.