'Come Together And Resolve Maratha Quota Issue': Activist Jarange Urges Maha CM Shine, His Deputies

Jarange earlier today met two official delegations, but he said they had nothing new to offer.

Activist Manoj Jarange set out on a march towards Mumbai from Jalna district on January 20 with thousands of supporters.

New Delhi: Activist Manoj Jarange, who is headed towards Mumbai with thousands of supporters from Lonavala, urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputies to come together and resolve the issue of the Maratha quota.

The activist set out on a march towards Mumbai from Jalna district on January 20 with thousands of supporters. He is demanding that the state government grant quota to Marathas under the OBC grouping in jobs and education.

Earlier today, Jarange met two official delegations, but he said they had nothing new to offer. They were deliberating on the “same old points”, Jarange stated, reported PTI.

“We have not come here for fun. On behalf of the Maratha community, I appeal to CM Ekanth Shinde and deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar to come together for discussion and find a solution to the issue,” he said.

He further stated that two teams of officials, including one led by Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Divisional Commissioner Madhukar Ardad, met him earlier, but they had no new proposal to offer, the PTI report added.

Responding to queries if they have been granted permission by the Mumbai police to agitate at Azad Maidan in the city, Jarange said a stage is being erected there.

Jarange had earlier asked his supporters in Lonavala to keep calm and not get provoked, insisting that theirs is a peaceful protest.

Hunger Strike

Jarange has announced the launch of an indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai from January 26 if the state government fails to grant the reservation to Marathas in government jobs and education.

He claimed on Wednesday that 54 lakh records have been found in Maharashtra so far identifying members of the Maratha community as Kunbi (OBC sub-caste) and demanded immediate issuance of caste certificates, as per the PTI report.

On Wednesday, CM Shinde had appealed to members of the Maratha community to not stage protests, saying the government was thinking positively about their quota demand.

Speaking about an ongoing survey by the state Commission for Backward Classes to assess the Maratha community's social, economic, and educational backwardness, Shinde said 1.5 lakh people were working in three shifts, PTI stated in its report.

The CM had last month said that a special session of the state legislature would be held in February 2024, if necessary, to provide reservation to the Maratha community.