Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said OBC leaders should focus on demanding reservation for the Dhangar community under the ST category instead of criticizing the demand for Maratha quota.
Speaking to reporters here, Jarange said the OBC leaders are "not our enemies" and the Marathas will support the demand for reservation for the Dhangar (herder) community under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
On 13 June, Jarange adjourned his indefinite fast on the Maratha reservation six days after it had begun, and set a deadline of one month for the Maharashtra government to accept the community's demands.
He made the announcement when Maharashtra minister and Maratha quota sub-committee member Shambhuraj Desai and Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumare met him at his native village Antarwali Sarti in Jalna district and discussed the issue.
Some leaders of Other Backward Classes have opposed the Maratha quota under the OBC category.In February this year, the Maharashtra Legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 percent reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category.
Jarange is demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognizes Kunbis as "rishi soyaare" (blood relatives) of Maratha community members and enacting a law to recognize Kunbis as Marathas.
Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the OBC category, and Jarange is demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, making them eligible for quota benefits.
Speaking to reporters on Monday at a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he is undergoing treatment, Jarange said, “OBC leaders are not our enemies. I have not said anything against him.
“If they come into politics only 10-20 people from each community will come forward.But we should think about how our children will be educated. When they (OBC leaders) say their political existence will end, it means their career will end. "Only 5-10 people will end," he said.
Speaking to reporters here, Jarange said the OBC leaders are "not our enemies" and the Marathas will support the demand for reservation for the Dhangar (herder) community under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
On 13 June, Jarange adjourned his indefinite fast on the Maratha reservation six days after it had begun, and set a deadline of one month for the Maharashtra government to accept the community's demands.
He made the announcement when Maharashtra minister and Maratha quota sub-committee member Shambhuraj Desai and Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumare met him at his native village Antarwali Sarti in Jalna district and discussed the issue.
Some leaders of Other Backward Classes have opposed the Maratha quota under the OBC category.In February this year, the Maharashtra Legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 percent reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category.
Jarange is demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognizes Kunbis as "rishi soyaare" (blood relatives) of Maratha community members and enacting a law to recognize Kunbis as Marathas.
Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the OBC category, and Jarange is demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, making them eligible for quota benefits.
Speaking to reporters on Monday at a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he is undergoing treatment, Jarange said, “OBC leaders are not our enemies. I have not said anything against him.
“If they come into politics only 10-20 people from each community will come forward.But we should think about how our children will be educated. When they (OBC leaders) say their political existence will end, it means their career will end. "Only 5-10 people will end," he said.
