Enforce GR, start giving Kunbi certificates to Marathas before Sep 17: Jarange to govt

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday demanded that the Maharashtra government implement a GR issued last week for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas before September 17, or else he will take a "tough decision" again. Jarange ended his five-day-old fast for quota in Mumbai on September 2 when the government announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state. The government made the announcement in a resolution and it followed hectic talks between state ministers and Jarange.

The Kunbi is a traditional farming community in the state and they have been included in the list of OBC category in Maharashtra in order to make them eligible for government reservations in jobs and education. The government resolution (GR) issued by the social justice and special assistance department also mentioned about implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer. "We expect that the government will ask the taluka level offices in the state to act upon the GR. We expect that the work should start before September 17. If not done, I will have to make tough decisions," Jarange told reporters at a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since he called off his agitation in Mumbai last week. "The distribution of certificates should start based on the GR before September 17. I believe the government will act on it. If they listen to someone from Yeola (apparently referring to minister Chhagan Bhujbal) and anything goes wrong, we will also challenge the 1994 GR that gave our reservation to others," Jarange said. Bhujbal, an OBC leader, has been opposing reservation to Marathas under the Other Backward Classes category. September 17 is observed as the Marathwada Liberation Day. It marks the anniversary of Marathwada's integration with India and the annexation of Hyderabad state, which was under the rule of Nizam, into the Union of India.

Jarange also claimed some Maratha scholars, who claimed the GR will not help the community, have "gone crazy" and are not able to sleep because of the government order. "The Maratha community in the state should be a little patient (about the GR)," the activist said. "We will announce our policy further at the Dussehra rally at Narayangad in Beed. It (rally) will not be very big, but it will take place," he said. Notably, activist Vinod Patil, who has filed petitions in courts concerning the Maratha quota, last week called GR on granting Kunbi certificates to eligible community members “completely useless”. The GR, issued after Jarange launched the agitation, will not benefit the community in any meaningful way, claimed Patil.