Manoj Jarange, a Maratha quota protester who has been fasting in the Jalna district of Maharashtra, declared on Thursday that their agitation will continue until the state relaxes the requirement of genealogy while granting Kunbi caste certificates to the community members from the Marathwada region.
He was speaking a day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Marathas from the area who had income or educational records from the Nizam rule that recognised them as Kunbis will receive caste certificates. Marathwada region was part of the erstwhile Nizam-ruled Hyderabad kingdom before it became part of Maharashtra.
Speaking at a press conference in the district's Antarwali Sarathi, Jarange praised the state's move and noted that it has started several hitherto uninitiated actions. He didn't appear to be happy, though
Though we have not received the GR (Government Resolution) about the government’s decision yet, we learnt that it will give Kunbi caste certificates to those Marathas who have genealogy. If we have genealogy, we do not need a GR at all to get a (Kunbi caste) certificate, he said. Kunbi caste certificates should be given to the Maratha community members from Marathwada without any discrimination. Someone from the government should come with a GR specifying it and then we will end the agitation, he said.
We are thankful to the government for starting some process at last. We are ready to walk ten steps forward but take the decision of giving Kunbi certificates without any discrimination and relax the condition of genealogy, he said. Agriculture-related Kunbis are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Maharashtra and are entitled to reservation privileges in government employment and education.