Maharashtra: Maratha quota activist won’t be breaking his fast yet

People from the Maratha community seen staging a protest over the issue of Maratha reservation in Nagpur, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Maratha leader Manoj Jarange rejected the revised government resolution (GR), insisting that all Marathas be unconditionally given a Kunbi certificate, so that they get an OBC concession. He refused to end his 12-day fast, asking the government, which had sent a representative to meet him on Saturday, to return today or on Monday to Antarwali Sarati, a small town near Jalna, where he has been protesting since August 29. Jarange had given the government a deadline of four days to amend the GR. Saturday was the last day of the deadline.

Following CM Eknath Shinde's request, Jarange had sent a delegation to Mumbai late Friday night. The meeting lasted till the early hours, but there was no resolution by the end of it. Jarange had demanded that a genealogy clause be removed from the GR, while the state government asked him for more time - at least a month for a retired justice-headed panel to come out with a report on the issue.

The delegation returned to Jarange on Saturday with the CM's representative, Arjun Khotkar, who handed Jarange a revised draft. Jarange discussed the revision with his associates, and later questioned the government for not acting harshly against the senior police officers, who had ordered to lathi-charge on the third day of the fast.

Another demand was to give Marathas a Kunbi certificate. During the erstwhile Nizam rule, only Marathas in Marathwada had been notified as Kunbis. Jarange has demanded that Marathas across the state be extended the benefit. Senior activists Prakash Shendge and Babanrao Taywade, have warned the government against such a move, as it could be a source of major discontent among other OBC groups.