Maratha quotas: Jarange-Patil warns of fresh stir, hunger strike from Feb 10

Jalna (Maharashtra): Shivba Sanghatana President Manoj Jarange-Patil on Friday threatened a fresh agitation and hunger-strike from February 10 if the Kunbi Caste certificates are not issued to the Marathas, enabling them to get quotas under the OBC category.

His latest warning came in a terse X post at dawn, barely a week after the government issued a draft notification on his major demand of ‘Sage-Soyare’ (family bloodline) eligibility for the quotas.

"On this issue (Sage-Soyare), the stand of the government seems doubtful. They must clarify their stance or I shall launch another hunger strike and agitation from next Saturday (February 10)," Jarange-Patil told media persons.

The new ultimatum came a day after Jarange-Patil stepped in his home for the first time since he launched agitation in August 2023 – after nearly 155 days – and was accorded a tearful but warm welcome by his wife and minor kids.

Last week while calling off his siege plans for Mumbai, Jarange-Patil had declared that the movement for quotas had not ended, but put off temporarily to enable the government complete the work of issuing the Kunbi Caste documents to eligible Marathas.

The government’s draft notification - which Chief Minister Eknath Shinde handed over to Jarange-Patil in Navi Mumbai and ended his hunger strike - has created much heart-burn among the OBC sections in the state, including the ruling Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party-AP alliance.

The draft note, symbolically dated January 26, has defined ‘Sage-Soyare’ which includes relatives of the applicant’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather and earlier generations out of marriage within the same case.

However, the OBC groups, including NCP-AP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, have opposed this as a backdoor entry to Marathas in the OBC reservation which would not stand legal scrutiny.