Marathas will chart next course of action on December 23: Jarange

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday said if the state government fails to fulfil the reservation demands, the community will chart its next course of action at a meeting in Beed on December 23.

Speaking to reporters during a meeting at Antarwali Sarati village of Jalna district, Jarange said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde is scheduled to make a statement in the assembly, whose winter session is underway in Nagpur, on December 18.

The activist claimed that state minister Uday Samant phoned him in the morning to assure that the chief minister and the deputy CMs were committed to granting reservation.

The government had sought "one month to pass the act", but if it fails to comply, he said the next strategy will be decided on December 23 at Beed.

Jarange announced that the agitation would continue if the government failed to fulfil the demand for reservation and urged it to issue Kunbi certificates to Marathas for their inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category and pass the act accordingly.

The state government has found 54 lakh records of Kunbi, and it should pass a legislation for the inclusion of the Maratha community in the OBC category, he said.

The activist concluded his hunger strike on November 2 and gave the ruling dispensation time till December 24 to fulfil the demands made by the community seeking reservation in education and government jobs.

Jarange pointed out that the state government has not withdrawn cases against Marathas who participated in the protests for reservation.

He also called for a halt in job recruitment until reservations were granted to the Marathas.

The government should prioritise the appointment of 13,000 Maratha youths who have been selected for various departments, he said, warning of "consequences" if the government did not stop recruitment till the reservation is implemented.

Jarange urged Marathas not to indulge in infighting and to remain united and said the community would soon get reservations as the fight is at its peak.