‘Betrayal’: Maratha quota activist Jarange Patil on reservation bill passed in Maharashtra assembly

Manoj Jarange Patil

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Tuesday hit out at Eknath Shinde government over the passing of the Maratha reservation bill in the Maharashtra assembly.

“This decision of the government has been taken by keeping election and votes in mind. This is a betrayal to the Maratha community…Maratha community won’t trust you. We will benefit only from our original demands. Make a law on ‘sage-soyare’…This reservation won’t hold. The Government will now lie that the reservation has been given,” Patil told ANI.

Patil said that the date of next round of agitation with the demand to implement ‘Sage Soyare’ will be announced on Wednesday.

“I am demanding to implement ‘Sage Soyare’. The next round of agitation will be announced tomorrow, said Patil as quoted by news agency ANI.

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Earlier, in January, Maharashtra government had given a draft notification over Patil’s demands to provide Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community.

On February 10, Patil launched a hunger strike asking the government to enact the law. Patil also demanded to make some changes to the draft notification to align with the demands of Maratha community.

“There is a feeling of having been cheated by the state government… We and even Jarange-Patil have realised that the draft notification was not on the lines of our demand….,” said Sanjay Lakhe-Patil, state coordinator, Maratha Kranti Morcha.

What happened in January 2024

Earlier, in January, Patil had withdrawn his agitation, saying that the state government has “not only accepted his demands but also issued relevant orders for implementation”.

Shinde had met Patil after the state government accepted his demands and handed over a copy of draft notification (on extending benefits of quota to blood relatives).

The draft notification was issued following Shinde’s announcement on the issuance of Kunbi certificates to 57 lakh Marathas who have records of Kunbi antecedents. Shinde also said Kunbi certificates would be provided to blood relatives of Marathas with Kunbi antecedents, based on affidavits filed by those with Kunbi records.

“Our demand was to issue Kunbi certificates to the blood relatives to Maratha individuals having Kunbi antecedents. An order to this effect has been issued,” Patil had said at the time.

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