Tensions are escalating in Maharashtra’s Jalna district as OBC, Banjara, and Adivasi organizations vow to protest until the state government revokes the Maratha quota Government Resolution (GR) issued following activist Manoj Jarange’s agitation in Mumbai.

The GR, which leverages the Hyderabad Gazette to grant Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas, enabling access to OBC quotas, has ignited fierce opposition. Critics argue it threatens the reservation rights of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Kunbis, an agrarian community, fall under Maharashtra’s OBC category.

Sandesh Chavan, president of Banjara outfit Gor Sena, demanded the restoration of ST status for the Banjara community, citing their classification under Hyderabad state. He highlighted a tragic incident, claiming a 32-year-old Banjara graduate from Dharashiv died by suicide on September 13, leaving a note urging ST reservation. Since September 11, Banjara youths have staged an indefinite hunger strike outside the Jalna Collector’s office, while leader Haribhau Rathod announced protest marches in Jalna and Beed on September 15.

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Adivasi groups, however, oppose the Banjara demand, noting that Banjaras already benefit from a 3% quota under the Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT) category. Meanwhile, OBC activists Navnath Waghmare and Satusung Mundhe warned that expanding the quota could jeopardize the rights of 374 castes listed under the OBC category. They plan a massive protest in Nagpur on October 10.

Historically, the Marathwada region, once part of the Nizam of Hyderabad’s territory, documented castes in the Hyderabad Gazette. In 1918, Marathas received reservations in education and jobs, a precedent now fueling their OBC claim. The Nizam’s rule covered 17 districts, including five—Aurangabad, Beed, Nanded, Parbhani, and Osmanabad—that later joined Maharashtra.

Adding to the controversy, Sanjay Lakhe Patil, state coordinator of Maratha Kranti Morcha, criticized Jarange, alleging he lacks understanding of the Gazette. “Only Marathas with Kunbi records will benefit. The government is misleading the community,” Patil claimed.

As protests loom, Maharashtra braces for a heated clash over reservation rights.

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