Manoj Jarange's 'final agitation' for Maratha quota begins
Xtreme News India
29-08-2026 19:06:16
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Manoj Jarange's 'final agitation' for Maratha quota begins
Jalna/Beed (Special correspondent) - Quota activist Manoj Jarange launched an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday, demanding that the Maharashtra government immediately issue caste certificates based on the 58 lakh Kunbi records identified earlier and asserted that the community will not grant any further time.
Speaking to reporters at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange warned that this would be his 'final agitation' and accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of bearing a 'grudge' against the Maratha community and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde of quietly supporting him.
He also demanded the elimination of the caste verification committee, and threatened to march to the chief minister's residence in Mumbai if the government fails to resolve all pending quota issues.
"Devendra Fadnavis is deliberately bearing a grudge against the Maratha community, and Eknath Shinde is giving him covert support through Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat. If they do not resolve our issues, we will march to the 'Varsha' bungalow (the CM's official residence in Mumbai). We will speak to the government delegation if they come to negotiate, but they must arrive with concrete solutions," he said.
Jarange has led several agitations demanding that eligible Marathas be recognised as Kunbis, an agrarian community that enjoys reservation benefits in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
"The government should issue the caste certificates to the Maratha community based on 58 lakh Kunbi records immediately. The community will not give the government more time for this," he said.
The activist also demanded withdrawal of police cases against protesters, government jobs and compensation for families of those who died in previous agitations, and other financial and administrative reforms for the community. Jarange urged community members to join the protest at Antarwali Sarati if they face delays or rejections in obtaining caste certificates.
Alleging systemic bias, the activist said, "This government does not want the Maratha community to grow. I have told our people that while valid historical records have been found, the authority to issue certificates remains with officials who are jealous of the community's progress." (Source PTI News)
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