He said if the demand is fulfilled by Tuesday, then he has no interest in going to Mumbai for an “indefinite hunger strike”, which he claimed would be a peaceful agitation.
Jarange has called for a protest at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai from August 29, demanding reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
He has been spearheading the campaign demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis – an agrarian caste included in the OBC category – thereby making them eligible for reservation in education and government jobs.
The activist has stressed on the community’s demand for the implementation of historical records, including the Bombay, Satara and Hyderabad gazettes, which he claims establish the Marathas’ Kunbi identity.
“Give us reservation that fits in the legal framework,” Jarange said at a press conference at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, from where he plans to set out for the agitation on August 27.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is taking a “stubborn stand” deliberately, he alleged.The government recently included 29 castes in the OBC category. This is like provoking the Maratha community people, the activist claimed.”The government has today and tomorrow. We have no interest in going to Mumbai, give us our reservation,” he said.
The state government headed last year announced 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community under a separate category, but Jarange has been insisting on the quota under the OBC category.
“The Maratha community has records (of Kunbis) and they should be given a quota. The 10 per cent reservation can be scrapped anytime and we don’t want that,” he said.
If the CM thinks that the OBC community follows them (BJP), then “we will also stand with him if reservation is given,” he said.
“I can overturn the government, if the quota is not given. I will not listen to anyone once I leave Antarwali Sarati,” he claimed.
Jarange also claimed he called all 288 MLAs in the state, including CM Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, over phone two months back and asked them to listen to “cries of the poor Maratha community”.
“We don’t want to come to Mumbai if our demands are fulfilled by August 26. We said this two months back, and if the CM is not looking into our demands, then the people of Mumbai should ascertain who is stubborn,” he said.
Jarange claimed there is a basis to implement reservation for the Maratha community.
“The Justice Shinde committee (formed to study records of Kunbis) found 58 lakh records and gave it to the government and it was also accepted by the state. If they have 58 lakh records, then who is stubborn here? The communities that have no records were given reservation. But we have records and we want implementation of the quota,” he said.
Jarange said the Maratha community members will leave from Antarwali Sarati on August 27 evening.
“On 28 August, we will go to the Shivneri Fort and then via Rajgurunagar, Chakan, Lonavala, Panvel, Vashi and Chembur, we will reach Azad Maidan,” he said.
The agitation will commence at the Azad Maidan at 10 am on August 29, he said.
Jarange said he does not want people to suffer due to the agitation, but at the same time he is firm on his demands.
“I want to say this to CM Fadnavis that we don’t want to block traffic anywhere. There are thousands of roads in Mumbai, give us one road to go to the Azad Maidan. We won’t leave Mumbai until the implementation of the GR which says Maratha and Kunbis are one,” he said.
The Hyderabad, Bombay, Satara gazette records should be considered for the implementation of the quota, Jarange said.
“We are not going to listen that a study is going on. If we have records, we should get the quota,” he asserted.
“Our relatives in western Maharashtra and Vidarbha have reservation as their occupation is farming. Then why is it not for us?Farming is our occupation also. We are same as them. If they get reservation based on their occupation, then why don’t we? he added.
Jarange appealed to all Maratha community members to join his agitation.
“Everyone, including teachers, bus conductors, farmers, businessman, should stop their work and prepare to go to Mumbai. Such an agitation would not take place henceforth so everyone should join this agitation,” he said.
The activist also said doctors from the Maratha community should come to participate in the agitation along with medicines and ambulances.
“I have asked (Maratha community members) to take 5,000 water tankers (for the agitators). People having their own cars should come out with their vehicles. Once we start the indefinite hunger strike on August 29, the Maratha community people (who join the march to Mumbai) can go back. We will agitate peacefully,” he added.
