Maratha reservation: As ‘deadline’ nears expiry, quota activist Jarange-Patil warns of going on fast unto death from October 25

Maratha quota agitator to begin hunger strike on Oct 25 if govt fails to grant reservation; CM Shinde says giving reservation is his admin's responsibility; CJI admits curative petition on Maratha reservation issue; Jarange-Patil warns of fast unto death & whole villages to join hunger strike from Oct 28 if quota issue not resolved

With barely 48 hours left for the expiry of the 40-day ‘deadline’ given by Maratha quota agitators to the Eknath Shinde government to grant reservation to the community, quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on October 22 said he would begin yet another indefinite hunger strike from October 25 if the State failed to grant the quota by October 24.

In a bid to pacify the activist, CM Eknath Shinde said that giving reservation to the Marathas was his administration’s “responsibility” and that he was committed towards delivering it.

“In a positive development, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) on October 13 had admitted a curative petition on the Maratha reservation issue. He has said he would list it for consideration in due course. This is a big step. A big window has been opened for the Marathas to secure reservation. We want to ensure a permanent reservation for the Maratha community, one that will hold water,” Mr. Shinde said.

Mr. Jarange-Patil, who has emerged as the prominent face of the Maratha quota agitation, warned the government of a fast unto death from October 25, while repeating his demand that the State government treat the Marathas as members of the OBC Kunbi community and give Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to them, thus enabling the Maratha community to enjoy the reservation benefits granted to the OBCs.

He further warned the administration that the Maratha community would not permit any political leader to enter the village of Antarwali-Sarati in Jalna district (where he proposed to sit on his hunger strike) till all aspects pertaining to the reservation issue were satisfactorily resolved.

“No grains nor water will be taken. It will be a rigid fast unto death…Just like water is necessary for life, so is reservation for the Maratha community. You [politicians] must only enter our village when you have given us reservation,” Mr. Jarange-Patil declared.

More ominously for the Shinde government, the activist said that whole villages would sit on hunger strikes from October 28 onwards if the quota issue were not resolved.