Why Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil refusing to end hunger strike despite reservation bill

Marataha Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil during his hunger strike in Antarwali-Saraati village demanding the implementation of the gazette notification on “sage-soyare.

is Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil continued his hunger strike in his hometown Jalna even as the Maharashtra government passed a bill at a hurriedly-called special session on Tuesday to provide quota to Marathas. While Jarange-Patil welcomed the move to provide reservations for the dominant Maratha community, he expressed doubts about whether the bill would pass legal scrutiny.

Both houses of Maharashtra legislature passed the Maratha Reservation Bill, which intended to extend 10 per cent quota to Marathas in education and jobs, breaching the 50 per cent cap. The bill is similar to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2018, introduced by the then Devendra Fadnavis government. The Supreme Court struck down the 2018 Act citing the 50 per cent cap on it had set in 1992.

Why is Jarange-Patil is continuing hunger strike?

Jarange-Patil insists on a quota in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category since a similar bill couldn’t pass the legal scrutiny and was struck down.

While Jarange Patil is demanding that all Marathas be considered as Kunbi – a caste in Maharashtra under the OBC bloc – and be given reservations accordingly. He wants one’s blood relations to be allowed to have Kunbi registration.

The government, however, decided that only people having Nizam era documents of Kunbi certificates would get benefits under this.

“The reservation given by government will benifit only 100 -150 people of Maratha , our people will remain deprived from reservation..Ttherefore I am demanding to implement “Sage Soyare” the next round of agitation will be announced tomorrow…We will take it what we deserve,” he said.

He also removed the intravenous drip from his hand and refused to take further treatment from the doctors.

Reacting to Jarange-Patil’s demand, Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai said, “The government has fulfilled the demands of Manoj Jarange Patil and the Maratha community. The government will study the objections that have come and decide on them. I request him that there is no need to protest. The government has taken a decision in favour of the Maratha community.”

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