Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange has warned the state government to implement the Hyderabad Gazetteer and issue Kunbi caste certificates to all Marathas in Marathwada before September 17. Otherwise, he said, a stand will be taken at the Dussehra gathering in Narayangad, Beed.
Jarange, who was undergoing treatment for the past week at a private hospital in the city, was discharged on Monday after his health improved. Speaking to reporters, he said, “The process of issuing certificates must begin. People should not feel that the government is only trying to delay. Officials in every district and taluka must work round the clock to implement the Gazetteer.”
He stressed that the process should start before September 17, with proper manpower given to village-level committees. “Otherwise, we will be forced to take a major decision. Political leaders will not be allowed to approach us. No one should assume that we will be deceived. The poor have fought for this reservation with nothing but chutney and bread,” he remarked.
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If challenged in court
Jarange also warned that if the decision is challenged in court, “we too will challenge the 1994 Government Resolution. How was 16 percent reservation granted unilaterally?” He appealed to district collectors not to come under pressure and to issue Kunbi caste certificates immediately to all community members whose records are available.
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‘We are not like the Yeola people’
Targeting state food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Jarange said, “If the Banjara and Malhar Koli communities are demanding ST category reservation based on the Hyderabad Gazetteer, then the government should give them the benefit as well. We are not like the Yeola people.”
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Discharged from hospital
On Monday, Jarange was discharged from the hospital. From there, he travelled to Antarwali Sarati and later proceeded to Narayangad in Beed district for darshan.