Maratha Activistโค Manoj Jarange Ends Fast Following Agreement on Quota Demands
mumbai -โ Activist Manoj Jarange concluded a five-day hungerโข strikeโ Tuesday at Azad Maidan in Mumbai after the Maharashtra government agreed to โkey demands regarding Maratha community reservations, including โขa process for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to eligibleโข Marathas.Jarange broke his fast by accepting fruit juice from Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, a senior BJP minister and โขhead of the โคstate cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, alongside other panel members. The protest at Azad Maidan, which began on August 29th, saw a โjubilantโฃ response from supporters as โฃJarange ended his โfast, visibly emotional atโ the outcome. He was laterโค transported by ambulance for a medical check-up.
The agreement followed a meeting between Jarange and the cabinet sub-committee, resulting in a government resolution (GR) detailing the procedure for identifying and certifying Marathas as โฃKunbis – an agrarian Other Backward Class (OBC) caste.
The GR establishes a dedicated committee to oversee the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who can demonstrate lineage through documentary evidence. Verification will utilize historical references from the Hyderabad gazetteer and be conducted at โคthe village level by teams comprised of gram sevaks, talathis (revenue officials), and โassistant agriculture officers.
Toโ prove Kunbi ancestry, individuals โwill need to present documentation, such as land records, dated before โคNovember โ21, 1961.
Jarange initially began his fastโ on August 29th, advocating for a 10% reservation for the Maratha community in both education and โฃgovernment jobs under the OBC category. He declared the agreementโข aโ victory for the community and reiterated โฃhis demands were met. Following the declaration, he underwent a โขmedical evaluation at a hospital.