Mumbai: On Saturday, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil began his march towards Mumbai to start an “indefinite hunger strike”, which he said he was not sure he will survive. Describing it as the “final battle” in his demand for reservation for the Maratha community, Jarange-Patil reiterated that the protestors would not “back down”. The Eknath … Read more
Maharashtra’s Maratha community, which is estimated to comprise about 33 percent of the state’s population, has been sporadically protesting for a quota in government jobs and education. Since August-September this year, Jarange-Patil has been setting deadlines for the government to grant a Maratha quota and insisting that Marathas be given reservation as Kunbis, who get … Read more
Mumbai: At a time when the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government is struggling to tackle the Maratha agitations over quota, the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission, a quasi-judicial body that decides on the inclusion and exclusion of castes for a quota, is crumbling. Following the resignations of two members citing “government interference” in the work of … Read more
Mumbai: Manoj Jarange-Patil, the Jalna-based activist who has emerged as the face of the renewed Maratha reservation agitation, is looking to establish his leadership in the community across Maharashtra as he prepares to tour the state from 15 November. The tour aims to maintain momentum while helping Jarange-Patil understand the issues facing the Maratha community … Read more
With the battle for a separate quota stuck in court, the only way for the Maratha community to get immediate benefits of reservation is by being considered as Kunbis, protestors say. For now, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has decided to issue caste certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community from before Maharashtra came … Read more