Granting a nearly two-month reprieve to the beleaguered Eknath Shinde-led government over the Maratha reservation issue, quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on November 2 finally agreed to withdraw his indefinite strike nine days after a delegation from the State government persuaded him to call off his hunger fast.
While calling off his fast in Jalna’s Antarwali Sarati village, Mr. Jarange Patil nonetheless kept up the pressure on the government, stating that December 24 would be the last day for the government to grant blanket reservation for all Marathas in the State by giving OBC Kunbi certificates to all members of the community. He also said that the ban on politicians entering villages would be temporarily withdrawn.
He, however, stressed that the agitation would not stop until reservation was secured and that he had merely withdrawn the indefinite hunger fast.
“This is the last chance for the government to give a quota for the Marathas. We told the delegation that we cannot accept reservation for Maratha only in Marathwada. We want it for the entire community for all Maharashtra. I do not want reservation just for the benefit of the Maratha community in Marathwada but the whole of State,” Mr. Jarange Patil.
“I am not satisfied on any of the issues. However, my supporters urged me to call off my hunger fast. But there will be no more reprieve for the government after January 24. If they deceive us after that, we will reach Mumbai and cut-off the economic lifelines of these politicians. We will not let the politicians step out of homes,” the activist warned the Shinde government.
A high-voltage drama ensued through the day, with retired judges M.G. Gaikwad - who had headed the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission - and S.B. Shukre attempting to convince Mr. Jarange Patil of the necessity to grant more time to the government and to the legal committees in order to ensure that the Marathas got a secure reservation that would hold water in the Supreme Court.
A delegation of ministers on behalf of the government which included Dhananjay Munde, Uday Samant, Sandipan Bhumre and legislator Bacchu Kadu (who had been in touch with the activist) as well as the two retired judges, held a marathon three-hour session to cajole the stubborn activist to yield.
“Why cannot the government give a blanket reservation to the Marathas? Why do they need to prove they are Kunbis [OBCs]? When reservation was being given to other castes, none of this complicated, proof-seeking procedure was present,” claimed the activist.
There was much wrangling between the government delegation and Mr. Jarange Patil, with Mr. Munde, who is from the NCP (Ajit Pawar) faction, imploring the activist to extend the date to the government till January 2, 2024.
“I will not give one day after December 24. Increase manpower for the committees that are studying the Maratha issue. This time, we have secured a time-bound promise from the government to deliver reservation over the next 50-odd days. I appeal to all members not to take any extreme steps henceforth,” he said.
The activist also demanded the police withdraw all cases against the quota agitators by December 24.
Thanking Mr. Jarange Patil for withdrawing his fast, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the activist’s demands of increasing the manpower of the committees working on the reservation issue were noted, and assured that his government would deliver the quota within the new deadline set by the activist.
“I had recently spoken with the activist and reiterated our sincerity and commitment towards granting a quota for the Marathas. The Kunbi OBC proofs that we have found this far are in itself a big achievement. We are working on several legal levels. This must be the first time that a legal expert has accompanied the delegation. So, I urge the Maratha community to be patient,” said CM Shinde.
Earlier, the activist had given a 40-day deadline (which ended on October 24) to the government to fulfil all demands pertaining to Maratha reservation, chief among them being the granting of Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to Marathas, thus enabling the community to enjoy the reservation benefits granted to the OBCs.
