Maratha quota agitation: No leader is with me, I am fighting lonely battle, says Manoj Jarange

Manoj Jarange. File Photo

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday said that the people from his own community were not with him and he was fighting a lonely battle for quota. Citing the OBC quota protest, Manoj Jarange said, while the OBC leaders were united over the issue of reservation despite belonging to different parties.

He was talking to reporters on Tuesday before being discharged from a private hospital where he was reportedly admitted a few days back, amid the Maratha quota agitation.

In Photos: South Korean rescuers search burned factory after blaze killed 22

4 months agoPHOTO GALLERY

As per the PTI report, Manoj Jarange launched his latest round of protest on June 8 and suspended it six days later. He has been demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of Maratha community members.

Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and Jarange has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thus making them eligible for quota benefits.

However, OBC activist Laxman Hake and his supporters have been opposing Jarange's demand for issuance of Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community. He asserted that the state government must not take any decision that affects OBCs. Hake, who was on a hunger strike over his demand, withdrew it later.

"Yesterday I said I am alone. This means that OBC leaders are united irrespective of their different political parties. But the leaders belonging to my community are not with me. Many of them have stepped aside. But I will still keep fighting," Manoj Jarange said, reported PTI.

He also appealed to the government to fulfil the demands of the Maratha community, as reported by the news agency.

"The government should meet our 'sage soyare' demand as per our definition and just publish a notification that Marathas and Kunbis are one. Even if the government takes the gazettes of Hyderabad, Satara and the Bombay presidency into consideration, the Marathas will get reservation," Manoj Jarange added.

As reported by PTI, he alleged that people from the Maratha community who fought for the cause of reservation were defamed.

"Earlier, the people who fought for the community and quota were defamed by the government and were pushed aside. But no matter how much they defame us now, we won't move away from our demands," he said, reported PTI.

(with inputs from PTI)