Maratha quota agitation leader Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Manoj Jarange on Tuesday said that while OBC leaders were united on the reservation issue despite belonging to different parties, those from his own community were not with him and he was fighting a lonely battle for the quota.
He was speaking to reporters on Tuesday before being discharged from a private hospital where he was admitted a few days ago.
Jarange, who launched his latest round of protests on June 8 and called it off six days later, has been demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognizes Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of members of the Maratha community. .
Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and Jarange has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thereby making them eligible for quota benefits.
However, OBC activist Laxman Hake and his supporters have opposed Jarange's demand for issuing Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community and asserted that the state government should not take any decision affecting OBCs. Hake, who was on hunger strike over his demand, later withdrew it.
"Yesterday I said that I am alone. This means that the OBC leaders are united regardless of their different political parties. But the leaders who belong to my community are not with me. Many of them have stepped aside. But I will continue to fight" , Jarange said.
He also appealed to the government to meet the demands of the Maratha community.
"The government should satisfy our demand for 'sage soyare' as per our definition and simply issue a notification that Marathas and Kunbis are one. Even if the government takes into consideration the gazettes from Hyderabad, Satara and Bombay Presidency, the Marathas will get reserves. "added the activist.
He alleged that people from the Maratha community who fought for the cause of reservation were defamed.
"Before, people who fought for community and quotas were defamed by the government and marginalized. But no matter how much they defame us now, we will not back away from our demands," he said.
He was speaking to reporters on Tuesday before being discharged from a private hospital where he was admitted a few days ago.
Jarange, who launched his latest round of protests on June 8 and called it off six days later, has been demanding implementation of the draft notification that recognizes Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of members of the Maratha community. .
Kunbi, an agrarian group, falls under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, and Jarange has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thereby making them eligible for quota benefits.
However, OBC activist Laxman Hake and his supporters have opposed Jarange's demand for issuing Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community and asserted that the state government should not take any decision affecting OBCs. Hake, who was on hunger strike over his demand, later withdrew it.
"Yesterday I said that I am alone. This means that the OBC leaders are united regardless of their different political parties. But the leaders who belong to my community are not with me. Many of them have stepped aside. But I will continue to fight" , Jarange said.
He also appealed to the government to meet the demands of the Maratha community.
"The government should satisfy our demand for 'sage soyare' as per our definition and simply issue a notification that Marathas and Kunbis are one. Even if the government takes into consideration the gazettes from Hyderabad, Satara and Bombay Presidency, the Marathas will get reserves. "added the activist.
He alleged that people from the Maratha community who fought for the cause of reservation were defamed.
"Before, people who fought for community and quotas were defamed by the government and marginalized. But no matter how much they defame us now, we will not back away from our demands," he said.
