<p>Mumbai: In a counter move, the OBC community on Saturday launched a relay hunger strike agitation to protest against the demand of the Maratha community to get reservation under the 27 per cent quota of the Other Backward Classes. </p><p>The demand of Manoj Jarange is the implementation of reservation for the Marathas as Kunbis, a sub-caste, predominantly agriculturists, which are covered under OBC - while rejecting the 10 per cent quota under the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Act, which was passed in February 2024 in the run up to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls. </p><p>The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh has opposed the demand of the Marathas saying that it would dilute the existing OBC quota. </p><p>“We will reach out to people and explain what the reality is,” said Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh President Babanrao Taywade.</p>.Quota stir: We will look into interests of both Marathas and OBCs, says Fadnavis.<p>The protest is being held at the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur - and protests across the state have come. In the days to come, if things do not settle, they may launch fast-unto-death. </p><p>The protest, unfolding in the home turf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, signalled growing resistance from the OBC community over fears of losing their reservation rights because of widening of reservation.</p><p>“We will not yield to what he described as pressure tactics from Jarange-Patil…we demand that Marathas should not be accommodated within the OBC quota and fresh Kunbi certificates should not be issued,” he said. </p><p>"The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh has made it absolutely clear — the Maratha community should not be granted OBC status, nor should they be issued Kunbi certificates,” Taywade said, adding that in the days to come protests would be held in different districts. </p>
<p>Mumbai: In a counter move, the OBC community on Saturday launched a relay hunger strike agitation to protest against the demand of the Maratha community to get reservation under the 27 per cent quota of the Other Backward Classes. </p><p>The demand of Manoj Jarange is the implementation of reservation for the Marathas as Kunbis, a sub-caste, predominantly agriculturists, which are covered under OBC - while rejecting the 10 per cent quota under the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Act, which was passed in February 2024 in the run up to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls. </p><p>The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh has opposed the demand of the Marathas saying that it would dilute the existing OBC quota. </p><p>“We will reach out to people and explain what the reality is,” said Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh President Babanrao Taywade.</p>.Quota stir: We will look into interests of both Marathas and OBCs, says Fadnavis.<p>The protest is being held at the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur - and protests across the state have come. In the days to come, if things do not settle, they may launch fast-unto-death. </p><p>The protest, unfolding in the home turf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, signalled growing resistance from the OBC community over fears of losing their reservation rights because of widening of reservation.</p><p>“We will not yield to what he described as pressure tactics from Jarange-Patil…we demand that Marathas should not be accommodated within the OBC quota and fresh Kunbi certificates should not be issued,” he said. </p><p>"The Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh has made it absolutely clear — the Maratha community should not be granted OBC status, nor should they be issued Kunbi certificates,” Taywade said, adding that in the days to come protests would be held in different districts. </p>