Maharashtra OBC leaders announce march to save reservation on July 22

Members of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community have announced a protest march in Maharashtra to express their anger over the reported decision to remove Maratha reservation from the existing OBC quota. The announcement comes as the Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil started indefinite hunger strike on Saturday.

While Patil is demanding that the Maratha quota be included in the OBC category, OBC leaders are opposing the reduction in their reservation share. The issue has already created considerable tension between Marathas and OBCs in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra.

The Reservation Bachao Jan Akrosh Yatraled by OBC leaders Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare, along with others, will start in Jalna district, where Patil is currently on hunger strike.

Commenting on the purpose of the protest march, Waghmare said that there is widespread anger within the OBC community in the state and “we need to convey this anger to the government.” He appealed to members of the community to participate in the OBC Reservation Bachao Jan Akrosh Yatra in large numbers.

The Yatra begins on July 22 and ends in Paithan taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, after passing through Ramgawan, Wadigodri, Beed, Ahmednagar, Parbhani, Hingoli, Washim and Buldhana districts of Jalna.

Meanwhile, Jarange Patil, who on Saturday began a fresh indefinite hunger strike in Jalna district, alleged that OBC leaders were trying to create discord between Marathas and OBCs. Patil demanded implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as blood relatives of members of the Maratha community. He alleged that the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government has failed to fulfil its promises on the reservation issue.

Patil had suspended his previous indefinite fast on June 13, six days after he had started it, and had given the government a deadline of one month to address the community’s demands. During this indefinite fast, he plans to undertake a state tour from August 7 to 13.