Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Thursday (May 28, 2026) announced that he would sit on an indefinite hunger strike from May 30, saying the Maharashtra government would be responsible if his health deteriorates during the protest amid scorching heat.
“The protest will be staged under scorching heat without any shelter, food, or water. I will lose, or the government will act,” said Mr. Jarange Patil, adding that sufficient time had been given to the government for implementation of the Maratha reservation.
Mr. Jarange Patil will stage the protest at Antarwali Sarati village in Maharashtra’s Jalna district, opposing the government’s delay in issuing Kunbi caste certificates under the Maratha reservation process. He recalled that the government had assured, during the Mumbai protest in August 2023, that the Satara Gazette would be implemented within a month.
“It has been 10 months since the assurance. How long should I wait?” he said.
He pointed out that 58 lakh entries verifying Kunbi antecedents had been collected from the Hyderabad Gazette. He questioned why certificates had not been issued, the process for validating the certificates already issued, and the action taken on certificates based on Satara Gazette entries.
The demands have been to provide reservation to Marathas by recognising them as Kunbis, a caste eligible for reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, thereby making Marathas eligible for quota benefits.
On May 16, Mr. Jarange Patil claimed that the reservation process had slowed, delaying the issuance of Kunbi certificates for Maratha applicants. Recently, BJP MLC Prasad Lad, considered a close aide of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met Mr. Jarange Patil to address his earlier warnings of protest. However, as talks did not succeed, Mr. Jarange Patil announced another statewide agitation.
The demands also include withdrawal of cases against Maratha protesters and jobs for the families of protesters who died during the movement. He has also sought an extension of one year for the Sandeep Shinde committee to trace Kunbi records.
Mr. Jarange Patil also highlighted discrepancies in the issued certificates, saying students were facing difficulties during admissions.
“Whenever I raise issues, government representatives have cornered me, saying all the demands are met. Prasad Lad said to me, ‘Non-Maratha Chief Minister has granted Maratha reservation’, but why don’t he and others see that Marathas made him Chief Minister,” said Mr. Jarange Patil.
Calling the reservation granted to OBCs “bogus and fraud”, he said, “The reservation was given only to get their votes as they were scared OBCs will not vote for them. Show me how sub-castes were added to list of 180 OBC castes. We here sharing same surnames, having blood relations are not been considered.”
Published – May 28, 2026 01:41 pm IST
