Marathis should agitate by following law, not by pelting stones: Jarange

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange said on Friday that the community should continue its agitation by using means permitted by the law and not by “pelting stones” to press its demand for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

The activist, whose hunger strike entered the 11th day on Friday, has asked the Maharashtra government to drop the clause of genealogy while giving Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from the Marathwada region for availing reservation benefits under the OBC category.

Speaking to reporters from his protest site at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange said, “We are fighting for Maratha reservation and we will get it. The agitations that are taking place across the state should go on, and the agitators should work towards raising support for it.” '

He appealed to the community members not to take the law into their own hands.

“At the same time, they (pro-Maratha quota protesters) should agitate within the legal framework. There is no need to agitate by pelting stones. They should use the means of protest permitted by the law,” he said.

The state on Thursday issued a Government Resolution (GR) stipulating that Kunbi caste certificates would be issued only after the Maratha community members from the Marathwada region provide genealogical records from Nizam-era. The region was once a part of the erstwhile Nizam-ruled Hyderabad kingdom.

Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture-related occupations, are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and enjoy reservation benefits in education and government jobs.

Asserting that his protest will continue, Jarange has asked the government to revise the GR by doing away with the clause of providing genealogical records while issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from Marathwada.

The Maratha quota issue returned to the centre stage in the state when the police last week baton-charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob at Antarwali Sarati after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift Jarange to hospital.

Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze in the violence.

The police action triggered more protests by the community across the state and a war of words between the ruling dispensation and the opposition.

While Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday that the government regretted the use of force by the police, the cabinet on Wednesday decided that Kunbi caste certificates would be issued to Marathas from the region who possess Nizam-era documents recognising them as Kunbis.