Activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday stood firm on his demand for Kunbi caste certificates for all Marathas as his indefinite hunger strike entered the second day, warning that he would march to Mumbai if the Maharashtra government failed to act.
The Bombay High Court has refused to grant an interim stay on the Maharashtra government's decision to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with OBC antecedents. Petitions challenging the decision were filed by OBC individuals, but the court declined immediate relief, pending a response from the government.
Maharashtra cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal has demanded a stay on the Kunbi caste certificates issued to Marathas following their latest agitation for reservation and scrapping of the Justice (retired) Sandeep Shinde committee formed over the quota issue.
Amid a fresh wave of protests in Maharashtra over the Maratha quota demand, authorities in Dharashiv district of the state on Wednesday started distributing Kunbi caste certificates to the eligible Maratha community members, paving the way for their inclusion in the OBC category.
NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal to challenge Maharashtra government's order expediting Kunbi caste certificates for Marathas, citing concerns from OBC leaders and seeking legal opinion on the government's authority to change people's caste.
Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange has agreed to take water and saline treatment but vowed to continue his indefinite fast until all demands for Maratha reservation and Kunbi certificates are met. His health is deteriorating, prompting concerns from doctors and appeals from authorities. Jarange criticised the state government and mediating ministers, alleging political infighting and a lack of serious engagement on the issue.
A Maratha community member from Dharashiv in Maharashtra, who was the first one to be given the Kunbi caste certificate in the district as part of the ongoing survey exercise, has decided to return the document to the authorities, saying he wants all Marathas in the state to be given this benefit.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange's crucial march to Mumbai for OBC reservation faces significant uncertainty as his health deteriorates amidst a hunger strike, prompting appeals from the Maharashtra government for dialogue and raising questions about the protest's continuation.
Quota activist Manoj Jarange has launched an indefinite hunger strike, demanding that the Maharashtra government immediately issue caste certificates based on the 58 lakh Kunbi records identified earlier, asserting that the Maratha community will not grant any further time.
The Maharashtra government has formed a committee to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who can provide documentary evidence recognizing them as Kunbis in the past, potentially opening the door for reservation benefits.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the government would grant Maratha reservation only within constitutional limits and without impacting the share of other communities, amidst activist Manoj Jarange's ongoing hunger strike for OBC status for Marathas.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has ended his 20-day hunger strike after discussions with a Maharashtra government delegation. He issued a three-month ultimatum, threatening to resume protests in Mumbai if demands for Maratha reservation, based on Kunbi lineage recognition, are not met. The government has assured action on historical gazettes to facilitate OBC benefits for Marathas.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has ended his indefinite fast after talks with Maharashtra government representatives, who submitted a 12-point proposal to him.
Quota activist Manoj Jarange has accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and cabinet colleague Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil of deceiving the Maratha community on the reservation issue, even as he accepted IV fluids on the 11th day of his indefinite hunger strike due to deteriorating health.
Activist Manoj Jarange announced an indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai from September 19 for Maratha reservation in jobs and education. He will lead a march from September 15, covering various districts before reaching Azad Maidan. Jarange urged peaceful protest and accused the government of inaction on caste certificates, while the Bombay High Court upheld the right to protest. The core demand is for Marathas to be included in the OBC category via Kunbi records, a move opposed by existing OBC groups.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has accused the Maharashtra government of conspiring to kill him and suppress his agitation, following Mumbai police's denial of permission for his indefinite hunger strike from September 19. Jarange stated he would proceed with the march to Mumbai despite the ban.
Union minister Narayan Rane has opposed the Maharashtra government's decision to issue Kunbi caste certificates to the Maratha community members and said 'proud Marathas' would not want to be included in that caste segment to avail reservation benefits.
A 24-year-old farmer in Beed district allegedly committed suicide due to delays in obtaining a Kunbi caste certificate for quota benefits and financial difficulties. Police are investigating the case.
Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has stated that festivals like Navratri are inclusive and there is nothing wrong with Muslim individuals attending the celebrations, despite the Vishva Hindu Parishad's call to bar Muslims from such events and BJP leader Nitesh Rane's support for the ban.
"Out of 100, I will give minus zero marks to this GR," said activist Vinod Patil.
The decision comes a day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said a government-appointed committee scrutinised 1.72 crore old documents (including those of Nizam-era) and among them, 11,530 records were found where Kunbi caste was mentioned.
Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange has launched his ninth indefinite fast in Jalna district, intensifying pressure on the Maharashtra government over the Maratha quota issue. The protest began in Antarwali Sarati village, with Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil rushing to the spot to hold talks with Jarange.
The BJP-led government's decision to grant Kunbi status to individuals from the Maratha community has opened a Pandora's box.
Quota activist Manoj Jarange demands the Maharashtra government implement a GR for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas before September 17, threatening further action if the deadline is missed.
The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday decided that Kunbi caste certificates will be issued to those Marathas hailing from the Marathwada region who possess revenue or education documents from the Nizam era that recognise them as Kunbis, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.
He also termed the draft notification issued by the state government providing Kunbi certificates to all Marathas as a mere 'eyewash', and said caste is determined by birth and not affidavits.
Jarange is a strident critic of the senior BJP leader and has routinely accused him of being the main obstacle in the Maratha community's quest for reservations.
Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal opposes including Marathas in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, citing limited reservation available for existing OBC communities and warning of potential protests if their share is reduced.
The free education policy should be amended so that boys also get free education besides girls, and all Marathas should get free education "from KG to PG" (kindergarten to post-graduation) until the entire community gets reservation, he said.
The development comes in the wake of an indefinite hunger strike launched by activist Manoj Jarange in Jalna district on Wednesday to demand reservation for the Maratha community.
Petitions challenging the Maharashtra government's decision to issue Kunbi caste certificates to the Maratha community for reservation have been filed in the Bombay High Court. The pleas claim the decision is arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Referring to the demand of giving a Kunbi certificate to all 54 lakh people whose proof of being Kunabi has been found till now, Patil said that they will be given the certificates soon.
Jarange Patil on Tuesday called off his five-day old agitation after the Maharashtra government issued a resolution on the Hyderabad gazetteer and announced the formation of a committees to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who are able to produce documentary evidence recognising them as Kunbis in the past.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an OBC in the state.
Activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare, who have been sitting on a hunger strike at Wadigodri village in Jalna district since June 13, did not allow doctors to check their health or administer intravenous fluids.
The Bombay high court on Thursday said it was not inclined to hear PILs against the Maharashtra government's decision to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members for reservation, noting the petitioners were not aggrieved persons.
The quota and other issues of the Maratha community were discussed in the state cabinet meeting after which it was decided to hold a special session, the CMO statement said.
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange ended his five-day indefinite fast after government representatives assured him that several of his demands, including the reactivation of the Shinde Committee, would be fulfilled. Jarange, who has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community in government jobs and education, warned that members of the community would march to Mumbai if the demands were not met. The government has assured that all cases against Maratha protesters would be withdrawn, while separate sections would be set up for issuing "Kunbi " certificates for the community members. The Economically Backward Section provisions for Marathas would also be implemented, while compensation would be released for those community members who lost their lives during the quota agitation.
Jarange, whose hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district for reservation for the community in government jobs and education entered 12th day, also rejected the fresh outcome of talks held with a delegation of Maratha community leaders and the government late on Friday night in Mumbai.
'Devendra Fadnavis is stating that Marathas must feel OBCs are not happy with reservations for the Marathas and therefore they are protesting.'
