Maratha quota protest leader Manoj Jarange Patil called off his hunger strike as the Maharashtra Government acceded to all his requests. Patil had been staging his protest in Mumbai, demanding reservation for the Maratha community in education and employment under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Among Patil’s demands were Kunbi certificates for all Marathas, free education from preschool to postgraduate levels, and reserved seats for Marathas in government job recruitment.
According to Patil, the government has already issued 37 lakh Kunbi certificates, with the number expected to rise to 50 lakh. Kunbi denotes the OBC category.
The 40-year-old activist had threatened a massive protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan if the government failed to meet their demands. However, after negotiations, two Maharashtra ministers met Patil, and the government agreed to all their terms.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also reached the protest site in solidarity with the demonstrators.
The issue of reservation for the Maratha community has been a key point of contention between community leaders and the State Government.
In a significant development on May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court invalidated Maratha reservations in colleges, higher education institutions, and employment, citing the absence of valid grounds to exceed the 50 per cent reservation cap.
