Jarange sets September 12 deadline over quota stir

Jalna: Activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday stood firm on his demand for Kunbi caste certificates for all Marathas as his indefinite hunger strike entered the second day, warning that he would march to Mumbai if the Maharashtra government failed to act.

Jarange launched his 11th indefinite fast over Maratha reservation-related demands at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on Saturday, where thousands of community members have gathered to support his agitation. He has been demanding that eligible Marathas be recognised as Kunbis, an agrarian community that enjoys reservation benefits in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. "The Maharashtra government should declare all Marathas as Kunbi," the activist told reporters on the second day of his agitation. Jarange said that if the government failed to accept the demands, he would march to Mumbai and intensify the agitation.

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A meeting of Maratha community's core committee, led by him, would be held in Antarwali Sarati on September 12 to decide on a hunger strike in Mumbai. "If the government accepts our demands by September 12, there will be no need to hold the proposed fast in Mumbai," the activist said.