New Delhi (Agency): Manoj Jarange, a Maratha quota activist in Maharashtra’s Jalna district, has declared that their protests will continue until the state government eases the genealogy requirement for issuing Kunbi caste certificates. Jarange is currently on a hunger strike to push for this change. He spoke a day after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Kunbi caste certificates would be issued to Marathas in the Marathwada region who have revenue or education documents dating back to the Nizam era.
“We want the condition of genealogy relaxed,” said Jarange. “Kunbi caste certificates should be given to the Maratha community members from Marathwada without any discrimination. Someone from the government should come with a Government Resolution specifying it, and then we will end the agitation.”
Jarange welcomed the government’s initial steps but expressed dissatisfaction, saying that the present condition will not help those who lack documents to prove their lineage. “If we have genealogy, we do not need a Government Resolution at all to get a (Kunbi caste) certificate,” he added.
The Kunbis, mainly involved in agriculture, fall under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra, which allows them certain benefits like educational and job reservations.
Jarange’s protest has reignited the issue of Maratha quotas in the state. The situation grew tense when the police used force against pro-quota protesters in Jalna district on September 1. Jarange, who was on a hunger strike, was among those targeted.
The Chief Minister’s announcement came in the wake of widespread protests by the Maratha community, triggered by the police action. Jarange mentioned that the community is thankful to the government for initiating some process but insisted that more needs to be done. “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 concluded.
The Marathwada region was formerly part of the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad kingdom before it became a part of Maharashtra. The present genealogy-based certification process references documents from that period, which many current community members may not possess.
