Maratha Quota Leader Says 'CM Did a Good Job'. What Changed Overnight & Why Manoj Jarange Ended Stir

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Saturday called off his protest after the Eknath-Shinde led Maharashtra government came out with a draft ordinance regarding his demands for the Maratha community.

Patil ended the indefinite hunger strike after drinking a glass of juice offered to him by CM Shinde as thousands of supporters surrounded them.

Patil earlier said that he would enter Mumbai but had camped outside Navi Mumbai with a sea of his supporters on Friday night. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held meetings with officials over the activist’s demands and sent a delegation with a draft ordinance later at night.

The delegation consisted of social justice department secretary Sumant Bhange, Aurangabad divisional commissioner Madhukar Arangal, chief minister’s personal secretary Amol Shinde and others.

Following the draft ordinance, Patil said “Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has done a good job. Our protest is now over. Our request has been accepted. We will not accept the letter from him. I will drink juice by the hands of the Chief Minister tomorrow (Saturday).”

The Maratha activists celebrated in Navi Mumbai after Patil announced the end of his protests following the acceptance of his demands by the state government.

TOP UPDATES

1. The Maharashtra government on Saturday issued a notification to recognise as Kunbis all blood relatives of the Maratha community members whose Kunbi caste records have been found. It said the draft rules may be called the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-Notified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate (Amendment) Rules, 2024.
2. CM Eknath Shinde assured that Maratha Community that they will be given all the benefits given to the OBCs till the whole reservation issue is sorted. “I give my word that all the promises made to Marathas will be fulfilled. No community will face any injustice while doing this,” Shinde was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
3. Maharashtra CM Shinde congratulated the Maratha community for a “successful and peaceful protest”. Citing that he also belongs to a farmer family, Shinde said he “knows the pain of poor Marathas”. The chief minister said that he is fulfilling the oath he took in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
4. After ending his protest, the Maratha activist said that this four-month long struggle was for the Maratha reservation. “More than 300 people committed suicide. …We will not allow any rift between OBCs and Marathas, but they are trying to create a rift between us, but this will not happen. There is a lot of love between OBC and Marathas, we are all together…” he said while addressing his supporters.
5. Activist Manoj Jarange Patil ended his fast in the presence of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on Saturday amid a huge spectating crowd of Patil’s supporters. CM Shinde offered Patil juice to end his indefinite hunger strike.
6. The 40-year-old Maratha quota activist has called off his protest after getting a draft ordinance from the Shinde-led government regarding his demands.
7. Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said, “A movement which was going on in Maharashtra for Maratha reservation under the leadership of Manoj Jarange Patil has reached a solution today…” He further noted that Patil announced the end of his protests as a solution to his demands was received.
8. Minister Lodha noted that CM Shinde will break the Maratha activist’s fast by feeding him juice.
9. However, clarifying his stance, Patil said “We have not shunned our plans to march to Azad Maidan.” “We will go there to celebrate if the government issues all orders pertaining to our demands. If not, we will hold an indefinite hunger strike from tomorrow,” he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
10. CM Eknath Shinde had sent a delegation to meet Patil with a draft ordinance on Friday night.
11. Earlier, Patil had planned on a hunger at South Mumbai’s Azad Maidan after demanding amendments in the free education policy that would include all Marathas until the benefit of reservation becomes valid for all.
12. Giving an ultimatum of 11 am to the government, Patil had said “I am taking a step backward,” adding that he had stopped having food from Friday and was only taking water. “If an ordinance is (to meet his various demands) is not promulgated tonight, I will come to Mumbai tomorrow,” he added.
13. He had said that once he sets on his decision to go to Azad Maidan, then there will be “no turning back”.
14. His demands asked for the free education policy to be amended such that the boys also get free education besides girls, and all Marathas should get free education from “KG to PG” (Kingergarten to post graduation) until the entire community gets reservation.
15. Patil said that he has sought data of the 37 lakh Kunbi — agrarian community — certificates issued by the state government.
16. Kunbi falls in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Patil has been asking for Kunbi certificates for all Marathas. “The government has told me that 54 lakh Kunbi records (records showing that a Maratha person/family belongs to Kunbi community) have been found, of which 37 lakh certificates have been given. Who are these people? We need data,” he said.
17. He also noted that the government job recruitment process at the moment should be carried out by keeping some seats reserved for the Marathas.
18. He also asked for withdrawal of cases filed against Maratha activists during these protests.
19. Following Patil’s announcement of strike at Azad Maidan, a team of senior Mumbai police officials including Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch) Virendra Mishra, Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Vinayak Deshmukh and Deputy Commissioner of Police Purushottam Karad had gone to meet the 40-year-old activist. Following which, Patil said that they are cooperating with the police.
20. Despite Mumbai Police denying him permission for a hunger strike in the city, Patil on Thursday had announced that he would commence his hunger strike at Azad Maidan from Friday.

What is Maratha Quota?

Manoj Jarange Patil came under the limelight in September 2023 when police used force to break up the crowd at his indefinite fast at Antarwali Sarati. He had later launched another round of fasting, which forced the state government to initiate discussions with him.

While the Marathas in the past have demanded reservation for the community in government jobs and education, Jarange is demanding Kumbi caste certificates for Marathas so that they can be included into the OBC groups.

The Kunbi community in the state is associated with agriculture-related occupation and are grouped under the OBC category. The other OBC groups have opposed the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category for reservation benefits. While the Marathas make up 32% of the state’s population, OBCs comprise 52% and are fragmented into 382 castes in the state.

The demand for Maratha reservation has been going on for decades now. The demand for quota for Marathas began in 1981 when Mathadi Labour Union leader Annasaheb Patil staged a morcha in Mumbai in support of the proposal.

The Maharashtra government had earlier made the law to provide reservation in government jobs and admissions in educational institutes to the politically and numerically dominant Maratha community. However, the enacted law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2021.

(With PTI inputs)