Maratha Reservation: Maha government accepts all demands, protest march called off
Maratha Reservation: Maha government accepts all demands, protest march called off
Manoj Jarange Patil, a Maratha quota activist, is scheduled to end his fast and protest on Saturday after the Maharashtra government decided late on Friday night (26th January) to issue an ordinance that would accept all of the protesters’ demands.
The Maharashtra government amended the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate Rules, 2012, adding the term “sage-soyare” as requested by Jarange-Patil after heated discussions that lasted until late Friday night.
Relatives of the applicant’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and previous generations deriving from marriages within the same castes are included in the term “sage-soyare.” Relationships resulting from unions within the same caste will fall under this category as well.
Jarange-Patil said that he was happy over the manner in which Chief Minister Eknath Shinde handled the matter and that he will quit his fast after accepting the government’s proposal.
At their meeting in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Shinde will offer Jarange-Patil juice to break his fast.
At Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, Jarange-Patil, who has led the movement for Maratha reservation, intended to go on a hunger strike. The government delegation held talks with the activist until late Friday night while he was en route to Mumbai. Senior officials from the department of social justice, including state ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Deepak Kesarkar, were part of the delegation that had the discussions.
