Maratha Reservation: Manoj Jarange Patil Decided to Quit Hunger Strike with Few Conditions
Maratha News Updates:
A local Maratha leader from Jalna named Manoj Jarange Patil ended his extended hunger strike on August 29 and offered the Maharashtra government one month to implement reservations for the Maratha Group.
The police cases against pro-Maratha reservation demonstrators in Jalna have been dropped, according to Mumbai’s chief minister Eknath Shinde, who oversaw an all-party conference when the Maratha quota movement was still ongoing.
Requests for Caste Reservation
The Marathas have long demanded reservations in educational institutions & government positions. Annasaheb Patil, the head of the Mathadi Labour Union, organised the first demonstration in Mumbai 32 years ago. Since 1981, the Maratha Reserve has shaped state politics and been the focus of large-scale demonstrations. This fight for the Mararatha reservation is still going on.
The Maratha community, which is already recognised as an OBC, is requesting the issuance of a Kunbi caste certificate to be eligible for OBC status. The Supreme Court invalidated the Maharashtra government’s decision to give the Marathas a 16% quota, citing faulty empirical data and a maximum of 50% reserve.
In support of the Maratha group, one of the former leaders of Maharashtra Manoj Jarange Patil was on a hunger strike for many days. Patil has been fasting in order to force the government to pass a resolution guaranteeing Maratha community members instant access to jobs & educational opportunities.
In the presence of Devendra Fadnavis, Udayan Raje Bhosale, and Eknath Shinde, Manoj Jarange Patil, a proponent of Maratha reservation, has consented to stop his hunger fast now. Later on, doctors also suggested Patil get medical assistance as he started facing health issues due to the hunger strike.
Further, Manoj Jarange Patil declared that while he would end the hunger strike, he would remain in the area of unrest. However, he has given the government a month to take the necessary steps to fulfil the quota for the Maratha group.
When making the decision on Tuesday 12th Aug 2023, Jarange Patil also outlined a few more requirements, including the dropping of proceedings filed against Maratha demonstrators, an assurance that Marathas will receive Kunbi caste certificates within 30 days, and more.
As the demand for a Maratha reservation grew, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Mr. Shinde, told the media that “a committee has been set up and asked to submit a report within a month on how to issue Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community from Marathwada.”
According to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shind, after weeks of community opposition, the Maratha reservation has been approved. The choice was made during an all-party meeting in Mumbai. Additionally, the government established a five-person committee under the leadership of Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde to create a (SOP) standard operating procedure for giving Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas as well as a framework for the verification of ancestry documentation within a month.
Stay tuned with us at Formal Monkey for more updated news about the Maratha reservation controversy.