Unite for quota cause or face consequences in assembly polls: Jarange tells Maratha leaders

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday urged MLAs and MPs from his community to unite in the fight for reservation under the OBC category or face consequences in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. Speaking to reporters, Jarange outlined plans to hold peaceful rallies in every district of Maharashtra from July 6 to 13, advocating for the quota demand. "Leaders of the Maratha community should attend these rallies in solidarity for Maratha reservation. They should demand the implementation of the draft notification of 'Sage Soyare' (blood relatives) and the old Hyderabad and Satara gazettes which have proved that Marathas are Kunbis," he said.

Jarange has been at the forefront of protests demanding the implementation of a draft notification that recognises Kunbis as “sage soyare” (blood relatives) of Maratha community members. He is also pushing for a law that identifies Kunbis as Marathas, making them eligible for quota under the OBC grouping. "Those Maratha leaders who fail to support the reservation cause will face consequences in the upcoming Assembly elections," he added. The polarisation of Maratha votes is believed to have benefited the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in recent Lok Sabha elections, to the detriment of the BJP. Jarange also accused Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal of uniting OBC leaders against the Maratha reservation.

The quota activist claimed he was lured and offered various positions to abandon the Maratha quota stir but he won't budge. "It seems the government is not keen to fulfil our demands, so our struggle would last long," he added. Amid the quota protests, the Maharashtra legislature earlier this year unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs.