MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange called off his fast in Navi Mumbai on Saturday after accepting a glass of juice from chief minister Eknath Shinde and a draft notification from the state which said that the Kunbi (OBC) certificate would be issued to male relatives of Marathas whose Kunbi lineage had been located, and also to “relations forming out of marriages within the same caste”.
The draft notification appears to make a concession which could make the kin of the wife from the same caste also eligible for the Kunbi certificate. Jarange had demanded that the Kunbi certificate be extended to the sage soyare (or family tree) of those whose Kunbi lineage had been found.
The draft notification says, “Sage soyare shall be considered among the relations from the patriarchal relatives as well as relations forming out of marriages and proof being given to prove that the marriage is within the same caste.”
Senior officials say it will widen the scope of Marathas eligible for the Kunbi caste certificate. “However, India follows the patriarchal system and such a concession is liable to be challenged,” said a senior official.
Indeed, said food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the OBC community, adding that “the sage soyare issue will not stand the test of law”. The state has sought suggestions and objections to the draft notification till February 16. “I encourage lawyers and educated people to oppose this. My Samata Party will be filing an objection,” said Bhujbal.
This was the third agitation called by Jarange on the Maratha quota issue, which has been on the boil since a lathi charge on his supporters in September. The Marathas are a dominant caste and estimated to account for a third of the state’s population. However, rising poverty within the farming community has given rise to demands for the quota even for Marathas, over time.
The current agitation has been focused on getting the OBC certificate for Marathas with Kunbi (OBC) lineage. The result has been a backlash from the OBC community, a key vote bank of BJP.,
On Saturday, in a dramatic flourish, Shinde, who belongs to the Maratha community, and Jarange appeared together on a crane and garlanded a statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, watched by a cheering crowd of thousands of the activist’s supporters. They were showered with gulal. They later applied gulal to each other.
“This is a victory for all my Maratha brethren. Now, the government should implement this “ordinance”. It should not insult the gulal that has been showered today,” said Jarange, adding that “if there is any betrayal, I will come to Azad Maidan.”
Stating that he kept the oath made to Chhatrapati Shivaji to work for the Maratha quota, CM Shinde said, “This is a historic moment for the community.” He congratulated Jarange for leading a peaceful agitation “I am a farmer’s son and I understand the pain the community is going through,” he added.
He pointed out that the government had met several of Jarange’s demands. “We have extended many of the benefits provided to the OBC community to Marathas. We have extended the term of the Shinde committee, which is overseeing the Kunbi certificate matter, by two months, and have also set up a committee to trace the family tree of those with Kunbi records,” said Shinde.
Jarange has also been demanding that cases against Maratha agitators be dropped. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said cases which involve attacks on the police or arson “have to go before the court before they can be dropped”.
Bhujbal strongly voiced his dissent on Jarange’s agitation. “Rules and laws cannot be changed because of a mob,” he said. He also said that Marathas were eying the OBC quota but would be giving up access to the 10% quota for the economically weaker section and also the 50% seats available in the open category.
The draft notification appears to make a concession which could make the kin of the wife from the same caste also eligible for the Kunbi certificate. Jarange had demanded that the Kunbi certificate be extended to the sage soyare (or family tree) of those whose Kunbi lineage had been found.
The draft notification says, “Sage soyare shall be considered among the relations from the patriarchal relatives as well as relations forming out of marriages and proof being given to prove that the marriage is within the same caste.”
Senior officials say it will widen the scope of Marathas eligible for the Kunbi caste certificate. “However, India follows the patriarchal system and such a concession is liable to be challenged,” said a senior official.
Indeed, said food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the OBC community, adding that “the sage soyare issue will not stand the test of law”. The state has sought suggestions and objections to the draft notification till February 16. “I encourage lawyers and educated people to oppose this. My Samata Party will be filing an objection,” said Bhujbal.
This was the third agitation called by Jarange on the Maratha quota issue, which has been on the boil since a lathi charge on his supporters in September. The Marathas are a dominant caste and estimated to account for a third of the state’s population. However, rising poverty within the farming community has given rise to demands for the quota even for Marathas, over time.
The current agitation has been focused on getting the OBC certificate for Marathas with Kunbi (OBC) lineage. The result has been a backlash from the OBC community, a key vote bank of BJP.,
On Saturday, in a dramatic flourish, Shinde, who belongs to the Maratha community, and Jarange appeared together on a crane and garlanded a statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji, watched by a cheering crowd of thousands of the activist’s supporters. They were showered with gulal. They later applied gulal to each other.
“This is a victory for all my Maratha brethren. Now, the government should implement this “ordinance”. It should not insult the gulal that has been showered today,” said Jarange, adding that “if there is any betrayal, I will come to Azad Maidan.”
Stating that he kept the oath made to Chhatrapati Shivaji to work for the Maratha quota, CM Shinde said, “This is a historic moment for the community.” He congratulated Jarange for leading a peaceful agitation “I am a farmer’s son and I understand the pain the community is going through,” he added.
He pointed out that the government had met several of Jarange’s demands. “We have extended many of the benefits provided to the OBC community to Marathas. We have extended the term of the Shinde committee, which is overseeing the Kunbi certificate matter, by two months, and have also set up a committee to trace the family tree of those with Kunbi records,” said Shinde.
Jarange has also been demanding that cases against Maratha agitators be dropped. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said cases which involve attacks on the police or arson “have to go before the court before they can be dropped”.
Bhujbal strongly voiced his dissent on Jarange’s agitation. “Rules and laws cannot be changed because of a mob,” he said. He also said that Marathas were eying the OBC quota but would be giving up access to the 10% quota for the economically weaker section and also the 50% seats available in the open category.