Maratha quota: Implement draft notification on Kunbi Marathas or face protests from Feb 24, says Manoj Jarange

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday said that the Maharashtra government should implement the draft notification on Kunbi Marathas within two days or face protests from February 24 the PTI reportedIf the Maharashtra government fails to implement it the community members would stage nonviolent road blockades across the state from February 24 reported the PTISpeaking at a meet of the Maratha community members at Antarwali sarti village in Jalna district of Maharashtra where he has been on a hunger strike since February 10 Manoj Jarange insisted on peaceful demonstrations and not resorting to violence during the protests reported the PTIEarlier in the day the activist told reporters that the bill providing 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community would not stand legal scrutiny and reiterated his demand that the Maharashtra governments draft notification on sage soyare or blood relatives of Kunbi Marathas be converted into a law as per the PTIManoj Jarange later appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a serious note of the matter and not hold the upcoming Lok Sabha elections until the reservation issue is addressedThe Maharashtra legislature during a oneday special session on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category but Manoj Jarange has been firm on his demand for quota for the community under the OBC headA substantial number of castes and groups are already placed in the reserved category getting about 52 per cent of reservations altogether It would be completely inequitable to place the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class OBC category the bill said as per the PTIAs per the draft notification issued by the state government last month if a Maratha person has proof to show that he or she belongs to Kunbi caste the persons blood relatives too would be recognised as KunbiKunbis fall under the OBC category and get quota benefitsThe scrutiny of the draft notification issued last month for granting certificates to extended blood relatives of Kunbi Marathas is currently underway as 6 lakh objections have been received Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the legislative assembly on TuesdayJarange said the government issued a draft notification for giving quota to the relatives of Marathas but didnt implement it and no discussion took place over it in the special session of the assemblyPeople still have faith in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde He should spell out the hurdles in implementing the quota for relatives of Marathas he said the news agency reported on WednesdayThe Maratha community people have understood that this is the same reservation that they were given earlier also but was later struck down The Maratha community has nothing to do with the 10 per cent reservation given in the special assembly session on Tuesday It will not stand legal scrutiny he said according to the PTILater during a meeting with the Maratha community members Manoj Jarange demanded that the draft notification be implemented within two days failing which he warned of a series of nonviolent rasta roko agitations across various villages towns and cities in the stateGive memorandums to officers concerned for implementing the sage soyare notification This should be done everyday from February 24 he saidThe rasta roko protests would also be held at every district level on March 3 he saidHe urged all Marathas to actively participate in the protests emphasising that the agitation aims to be nondisruptive with participants expected to return to their work or farms after the demonstrationThe activist stressed that the rasta roko protests should not inconvenience students appearing for exams and if students are stuck the Maratha activists would take the responsibility of ensuring their safe transport to the examination hallsIf the reservation is not implemented elderly members of the Maratha community would resort to hunger strikes from February 2429 he said adding that CM Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis would be responsible for any harm caused to those protestersAround 20 lakh senior members of the Maratha community would participate in hunger strikes across the state Jarange saidHe also appealed to the community members to adhere to a code of conduct during elections while urging them not to allow political campaigners into their villages or homesDont allow any politician at your door he saidHe also appealed to the government to not hold elections until their reservation demand is metThe activist warned that if the polls are held vehicles pertaining to poll campaigns would not be allowed in villages and the protestors would seize them and keep them parked in cow shedsAsk public representatives of the Maratha community whether they would support the reservation and ask them to implement the notification on sage soyare he said at the meetingwith PTI inputs