After a period of enforced dormancy, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil announced on Tuesday that he would renew his agitation by starting a fresh hunger strike on June 4, the day Lok Sabha results are to be declared.
Mr. Jarange-Patil, whose agitation has cast a shadow over several Lok Sabha constituencies in the Marathwada region, took aim at PM Modi. He said no other Prime Minister in the past had held so many rallies in the State during an election.
Mr. Jarange-Patil ascribed the PM’s rallies to an effort by the ruling BJP to downplay the “hatred” that some of their leaders had for Marathas and other communities.
‘Hate for Marathas’
“We are determined to secure reservation for our children. We have been given 10% reservation (under economically backward category) by the State government which is useless. This was proved in the police recruitment process,” said the activist, speaking in Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) after garlanding a statue of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to mark the birth anniversary of the Maratha king.
He said his hunger strike would commence at 9 a.m. on June 4. He will stage another rally in Beed district on June 8.
The State government led by CM Shinde passed a bill in February during a special session of the State Legislature which approved 10% reservation in jobs and education for economically backward members of the Maratha community.
That failed to impress Mr. Jarange-Patil, who brought the State Government to its knees last year with his hunger strikes.
OBC, Maratha friction
The agitation has created a division between OBC and Maratha voters in the Marathwada region.
Mr. Jarange-Patil, who has exhorted his supporters in the Maratha community not to vote for candidates who do not back their demands, however refuted suggestions of a split along caste lines.
“I was neither involved nor have campaigned for anyone. I just said that people should defeat those who were against us,” he said.
Mr. Jarange-Patil said BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil harboured “hatred” for Marathas.
He has been unshaken in his demand for reservation for Marathas from the OBC category, exhorting the government to grant all Marathas and their relatives OBC Kunbi certificates which would enable them to avail reservation benefits enjoyed by OBCs.
