Manoj Jarange
– Photo: ANI
Expansion
Reservation activist Manoj Jarange has announced on Saturday that if the government does not give reservation to Marathas, he will sit on an indefinite hunger strike from July 20. He also said that he will reach Mumbai soon.
Jarange has appealed to the Marathas to gather in Mumbai for the next phase of the agitation. The agitation will be announced on July 20.
‘The protest will start from Antarwali Sarti village in Jalna district’
Speaking at a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jarange said if their demands were not met, the protest for Maratha reservation would resume at Antarwali Sarti village in Jalna district from July 20.
He said, “The one-month deadline for the government to implement the Maratha quota has ended today. Today, I tell the government that the nine demands of the Maratha community must be met. This is just the end of the first phase. Many other phases are yet to come.”
10 percent reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs
Jarange is leading the protest demanding that all Kunbis (cultivators) and their blood relatives be given OBC certificates to recognise them as Marathas. In February, the Maharashtra Legislature passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs amid ongoing protests.
Warned to pay the price in assembly elections
Marange had warned a few days ago that those opposing our demand will have to pay the price for it in the upcoming assembly elections. Let us tell you that the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government had recently called an all-party meeting on the Maratha reservation issue, but the opposition boycotted it saying that this issue should first be discussed in the assembly.