Jarange-Patil to continue stir until order implementation, BJP unhappy

MUMBAI: Just when everyone believed that Manoj Jarange-Patil had been pacified, the Maratha activist made a fresh announcement on Sunday: that he would continue his agitation until the actual implementation of the order issued by the government. The BJP, meanwhile, is reportedly unhappy with the state government’s decision if union minister Narayan Rane’s staunch opposition to it is anything to go by.

After Jarange-Patil’s long march from Antarvali Sarati to Navi Mumbai, the state government on Saturday issued a draft notification to give Kunbi certificates to all Marathas and their blood relatives in their family trees (sage-soyare) whose Kunbi-antecedent records have been found by the state administration. Kunbi is a Maratha sub-caste which gets quota benefits in the Other Backward Castes (OBC) category, and the government launched a concerted hunt to dig up the Kunbi antecedents of as many Marathas as possible.

Not content with this, Jarange-Patil demanded that the relatives of those with such certificates also be issued certificates. The government agreed and also assured him that a fresh law would be enacted for those who could not produce Kunbi certificates. The activist was also promised that the police cases lodged against Maratha protestors, beginning with the agitation last August, would be withdrawn.

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Satisfied with the government’s step, Jarange-Patil announced that he would withdraw the agitation on Saturday. However, after reaching his village, he declared on Sunday afternoon, after a meeting with community members, that the protest would continue until at least one community member got a caste certificate under the new draft notification. “We cannot lower our guard even after the assurance,” he said. “The agitation will be withdrawn once the first certificate is issued under the definition of ‘sage-soyare.”

The activist also demanded that Marathas who had not been able to obtain Kunbi certificates be given the benefits of the new notification. He also demanded that administrators search the Satara and Bombay State gazettes for more Kunbi antecedents.

Meanwhile, after NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal expressed his displeasure at the state government’s decision, BJP leader and union minister Narayan Rane said that it would create a rift between the Marathas and OBCs. “It will lead to the suppression of Marathas, who enjoy historical antecedents, and encroach upon the rights of OBCs,” he said. “It will lead to unrest in the state. I do not agree with the decision and assurance by the state government,” he posted on social media X. Rane has also announced a press conference on Monday.

READ | For Marathas, Jarange-Patil is now a superhero

Like Rane, other BJP leaders in the state are believed to be unhappy with the government’s decision. “It has the imprint of chief minister Eknath Shinde and is not endorsed by his two deputies,” said a senior BJP leader. “There is unrest among the OBCs, and it has not gone down well with our leaders. What Rane said is a reflection of this situation.”

Bhujbal too has declared that the decision is unconstitutional and will finish the OBCs and their reservation quota. His partyman, Praful Patel, however said that this was Bhujbal’s personal opinion, expressed as the head of the Samata Parishad, an OBC organisation he heads. “It has nothing to do with the NCP,” he said.

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Constitutional experts and officers dealing with caste validity have expressed their reservations on the tenability of the draft notification issued by the state government. “Prima facie it appears to be against the Constitution and is expected to be challenged in court,” said constitutional expert Ulhas Bapat. “Not just this but the other announcements by the state government will be challenged too—such as the 100 percent fee concession to Maratha students and not filling up job vacancies under the proposed Maratha quota until the notification is implemented.”