After Shinde’s promise, Patil embarks on tour for Maratha reservations

Mumbai October 01 dmanewsdesk: Seeking to build pressure on the Eknath Shinde-led three-party government in Maharashtra over the grant of job and education reservations to Marathas, and Shivba Sanghatana founder Manoj Jarange-Patil on Saturday embarked upon a tour across Maharashtra to reach out to the political influential Maratha community members.

Fresh from the success of his fortnight-long hunger agitation which catapulted him to the status of being a force to reckon with as a Maratha leader, Jarange-Patil said: “I am reaching out to people across the state to explain the issue. I will not sit quietly until the state government grants reservations to the Maratha community in education and jobs”.

It may be recalled that Jarange-Patil – who had gone on a hunger agitation Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district from August 29 demanding reservations for the Maratha community – had called off his fast on September 14 after chief minister Eknath Shinde met him and assured him that his government would fulfil all his demands, including  Kunbi OBC community caste certificates to all Marathas.  

Starting his state-wide tour from his home village of Antarwali Sarathi in Ambad taluka, Jarange-Patil said: “I broke my fast after the Shinde saheb assured me that all steps would be taken to ensure that the Maratha community gets reservation. We have given 40 days to the state government to act on its promise. But the government should get down to implementing its promise and not waste time unnecessarily”.

Among other things, the Shinde government has promised Jarange-Patil that it would issue Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas from the Marathwada region who possess revenue or education documents from the Nizam-era recognising them as Kunbis – a move that would enable them to avail of benefits currently enjoyed by the OBCs.

The state government has also assured the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh that the OBC quota would not be disturbed.

Queried if the state-wide tour is aimed at mounting pressure on the state government to fulfil the assurances made to him, Jarange-Patil said:  “Where does the question of building pressure on the government arise? The state government has assured reservations to the Maratha community and it would do it”.  

Source: The Pioneer news