Talks between Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange and a government delegation collapsed on Saturday, leaving no resolution in sight as the Maratha community’s agitation for reservation intensified at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Jarange, leading a two-day hunger strike, sharply criticized Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for sending retired Justice Sandeep Shinde to negotiate, calling it an “insult” to the community and vowing to continue the protest until demands are met.
Jarange, 43, demands that Marathas be recognized as Kunbis, an agrarian caste under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, to secure a 10% quota in government jobs and education. He insists this is the “final fight” for the Maratha community, which constitutes roughly 30% of Maharashtra’s population. The protest, which began Friday, drew thousands from across the state, clogging South Mumbai’s roads and disrupting over 60 BEST bus routes and suburban train services near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
The government delegation, led by Justice Shinde, who heads a committee formed in September 2023 to issue Kunbi caste certificates, met Jarange on Saturday afternoon. The discussion, broadcast live on Marathi news channels, revealed a deadlock. Jarange urged the government to declare Marathas in Marathwada as Kunbis based on historical Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, but Shinde clarified he lacked authority to issue such a Government Resolution (GR), stating that caste certificates are individual, not collective. “It’s the job of the backward class commission,” Shinde said, noting the cabinet’s in-principle approval of the Hyderabad Gazette.
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Jarange accused Fadnavis of evading responsibility by delegating Shinde, saying, “It’s not Justice Shinde’s job to issue a GR. This is an insult to the state and the Maratha community.” He also alleged that the government was spreading misinformation by claiming Marathas sought to reduce the OBC quota. “We only want our rightful share under the Kunbi category. Don’t test our patience,” he warned, addressing a crowd battling mud and rain at Azad Maidan.
Protesters faced significant hardships, with Jarange and supporters decrying the lack of basic amenities like water, sanitation, and food. Jarange accused BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, acting under Fadnavis’s influence, of deliberately shutting public toilets and nearby shops to harass protesters. “Mumbai is ours too. You can’t deny poor Marathas basic facilities,” he said. The BMC countered that it had spread two truckloads of gravel to clear mud, provided sanitation services, and set up a medical help desk. Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil assured that complaints about amenities were being addressed.
The agitation has sparked political tensions, with opposition leaders like Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT) and Raj Thackeray (MNS) criticizing the Mahayuti government for failing to resolve the issue. Thackeray questioned why Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who claimed to have settled the matter in January 2024, allowed the protests to resurface. Meanwhile, OBC groups, fearing dilution of their 27% quota, announced counter-agitations, escalating caste tensions.
Fadnavis maintained the government’s willingness to resolve social and financial issues within the constitutional framework, but emphasized that Maratha quota demands must not encroach on OBC reservations. With local body polls looming, the protest’s timing adds pressure on the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition. Jarange, undeterred, warned, “If the government delays, more Marathas will flood Mumbai. This is our last stand.”
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