Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday claimed that the Congress was speaking against the interests of the Maratha community and would face consequences in the Maharashtra assembly elections scheduled for later this year, news agency PTI reported.
Speaking to reporters on the third day of his indefinite fast at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna, Jarange reiterated his demand for implementation of the draft notification recognizing the Kunbis as “sage soyare” (blood relatives) of members of the Maratha community and sought a law to identify Kunbis as Marathas.
Newly elected Congress MP from Jalna, Kalyan Kale, visited the village and met Jarange on Monday.
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.
In February this year, the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for Marathas in education and government jobs in a separate category.
Notably, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar had opposed reserving the OBC share for the community.
Asked about Wadettiwar’s comments, Jarange on Monday said: “The Congress took votes from the Maratha people in the recent Lok Sabha elections and now they are speaking against our interests. They will face the consequences in the Lok Sabha elections. Maharashtra assembly,” PTI reported. .
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 13 of the 17 seats it contested in the state as part of the opposition alliance.
Jarange also demanded implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette for Kunbi records of Marathas.
He said 57 lakh documents have been received proving that Marathas and Kunbis are equal.
He also demanded that cases against the protesters seeking Maratha quota be withdrawn.
Before this, the activist held the agitation over the issue of quotas between February 10 and 26.
(With input from PTI)