Manoj Jarange halts at Mumbai's doorstep; makes new demand: free education for all Marathas

NEW DELHI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Friday made a fresh demand that the Maharashtra government amend its free education policy to include all Marathas until the benefit of reservation becomes available for the entire community. He and his supporters would enter Mumbai on Saturday for their planned protest at Azad Maidan ground if their demands were not met by tonight, he warned. Addressing a rally at Shivaji Chowk in Vashi area of neighbouring Navi Mumbai where he arrived in the morning with thousands of his supporters, Jarange said he will stay put in Navi Mumbai for the day.

"I am taking a step backward," the 40-year-old activist said, adding that he had stopped having food from Friday and was taking only water. "If an ordinance (to meet his various demands) is not promulgated tonight, I will come to Mumbai tomorrow," he said. "I will take decision on going to Azad Maidan (in Mumbai) tomorrow at noon. Once I set out, there will be no turning back," the activist warned. The free education policy should be amended so that boys also get free education besides girls, and all Marathas should get free education "from KG to PG" (kindergarten to post-graduation) until the entire community gets reservation, he said.

He has sought data of the 37 lakh Kunbi certificates issued by the state government, Jarange further said. Kunbi, an agrarian community, falls in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and Jarange has been demanding Kunbi certificates for all Marathas. "The government has told me that 54 lakh Kunbi records (records showing that a Maratha person/family belongs to Kunbi community) have been found, of which 37 lakh certificates have been given. Who are these people? We need data," he said.

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"More than two crore Marathas will get OBC certificates after Kunbi records are found," Jarange said, adding that all Marathas should apply for the Kunbi certificate to avail of reservation. Once a person is established as belonging to the Kunbi caste, all his/her relatives should get reservation, he demanded. Present government job recruitment should be carried out by keeping some seats reserved for the Marathas, he said. He has also demanded withdrawal of cases registered against Maratha activists during the quota protests, he said.

The government has been trying to persuade Jarange not to proceed to Mumbai, sending delegations to hold talks with him. State education minister Deepak Kesarkar told reporters earlier in the day that Jarange's demands had been accepted, and would be fulfilled as per government procedure. Jarange and his supporters reached the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) on the outskirts of Mumbai around 5 am by bikes, cars, jeeps, tempos and trucks.

He had announced on Thursday that he would start his hunger strike at Azad Maidan from Friday, despite Mumbai Police denying him permission to hold a hunger strike in the city by issuing a notice under section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code that enables the police to prevent cognisable offences. Police suggested that the protestors could gather at International Corporation Park Ground at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.