11 fasts, 3 years, 2 Mumbai marches: Jarange Patil’s battle is far from over

The Maratha Reservation Movement

MUMBAI: Three years ago, a lathicharge on a group of quota protestors in Antarwali Sarathi village, Jalna, springboarded the little-known campaigner Manoj Jarange Patil into becoming the face of the Maratha reservation stir, making the issue became crucial to state politics.

Since September 1, 2023, Jarange has staged 11 hunger strikes and led two marches to Mumbai. As his latest indefinite hunger strike in Jalna entered its seventh day on Friday, a delegation of state ministers met him twice to call off the agitation, reasoning that most of his 10 demands had already been accepted. The activist is however resolute, calling this his “final and decisive battle” until the government issues a formal Government Resolution covering all his demands and begins issuing Kunbi certificates to Marathas on the basis of the 5.8 million Kunbi records identified by the government.

Water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, said on Thursday, “More than 7.5 lakh Maratha youth have been recruited for government jobs in the last three years. The state government has also issued 14.24 lakh Kunbi certificates.”

The Maratha community – estimated at over 30% of the state’s population – has for decades demanded reservation, citing economic distress, agrarian difficulties and limited employment opportunities. The demand gained renewed momentum after the rape and murder of a Maratha girl in Kopardi in 2016. Between August 2016 and August 2017, the community organised 58 largely silent marches across Maharashtra demanding reservation and action in the Kopardi case. The movement lost momentum till Jarange brought it back on the table.

Meanwhile, the reservation issue itself has seen many legal and political twists. The Congress-led government granted 16% reservation to the community in jobs and education in 2014, which was struck down by the Bombay high court (HC). The Devendra Fadnavis government subsequently provided 13% reservation in education and 12% in government employment in 2018, which the Supreme Court struck down in May 2021. The Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government again introduced a separate 10% reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs in 2024, which is currently being challenged before HC.

Pitching for OBC inclusion

As Jarange’s equity strengthened over the last three years, and as the government agreed to provide a dedicated quota for the Maratha community, he pitched for the community’s inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category by issuing Kunbi certificates, as it would be a challenge to get a separate quota approved in a court of law.

“The government was compelled to constitute a committee headed by retired Justice Sandeep Shinde to trace Kunbi records of the Maratha community from the Nizam and pre-Independence eras, to pick out the eligible Marathas who could access the OBC quota,” said a revenue department official.

Officials say that if the quota is struck down on the grounds that it breaches the 50% reservation ceiling, the community could intensify its demand for inclusion in the OBC category.

“The social and educational backwardness of the community has already been established by the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission. If Marathas are included in the OBC category, the community could also become eligible for political reservation in local body elections,” the official said.

The government’s decision to accept the Maratha community’s demand for inclusion in the OBC quota irked the OBC community. OBC leaders, spearheaded by NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal, strongly opposed the government’s move. The dispute between the two communities widened, leading to social boycotts against members of each community. OBC leader Laxman Hake launched a counter protest opposing the government’s stand.

Apart from a reservation for the community, the activist has also championed for greater funding for the Annasaheb Patil Economic Development Corporation, scholarships for Maratha students and withdrawal of cases filed against protesters. He started with a demand of Kunbi certificates for Marathas in Marathwada on the basis of the Hyderabad Gazetteer. Once that was approved, he expanded the demand for across the state demanding the implementation of Kolhapur and Satara Gazetters.

Virendra Pawar, coordinator of Sakal Maratha Samaj, which played a key role in organising the 58 silent marches, described the past three years as a period of significant gains for the movement. “Every time he (Jarange) sat on an indefinite hunger strike the movement moved forward. Despite the aggressive nature of the agitations, not a single life was lost. He believes that no battle should be given up,” he said.