Chhagan Bhujbal, the leader of the NCP, voiced serious concerns about the government’s announcement regarding demands for a Maratha quota.
The well-known organizer of the Maratha quota demonstrations, Manoj Jarange-Patil, thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for recognizing and agreeing to their demands. The leader of the movement for more than four months, Jarange-Patil, addressed a group of supporters in Navi Mumbai and demanded that the government begin issuing Kunbi certificates right away. He told the assembly that cases filed against community members during the agitations had been withdrawn by order of the chief minister.
Throughout the demonstration, the activist emphasized the Maratha community’s unity and vowed to keep Marathas and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) apart.
To determine our next course of action, we will convene in the Jalna village of Antarwali Sarathi, according to Jarange-Patil. He emphasized that the government needs to make sure the order passes legal scrutiny and threatened to return to Azad Maidan if anything went wrong with the government’s order.
Congratulations to the protestors! Eknath Shinde
Shinde commended Jarange-Patil for his tenacity and commitment to the cause after meeting the activist at the Navi Mumbai protest site. I congratulate each and every one of you for the peaceful holding of the agitation. In addition, I am a farmer’s son. I took the oath of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj because I am aware of their struggles and sufferings, Shinde said. I follow through on my words.
He reiterated that the people’s interest, not political gain, is the basis for government decision-making. The general public is the government of our country. We make decisions based on the needs of the people, not on who will vote for us. Though the Maratha community produced many notable leaders, Shinde implied that they failed to support the community when it needed them, seemingly aimed at NCP veteran and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar.
Notification of requests
In a notification released on Saturday, the Maharashtra government acknowledged as Kunbis all blood family members of Maratha community members for whom records of their caste were located. The Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-Notified Tribes, Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate (Amendment) Rules, 2024 are the draft regulations that are described in the notification. The announcement states that Kunbi caste certificates will be granted upon the submission of an affidavit proving relationships with blood relatives, such as the applicant’s uncle, nephew, and other family members, as well as “patriarchal” relatives who have confirmed that the applicant’s Kunbi records identify them as their “sage soyare” (blood relatives). The certificates shall be issued promptly following the completion of a field investigation and verification.
The term sage soyare encompasses the relatives of the candidate’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and previous generations who were born out of caste marriages. In order to ensure that they obtain Kunbi caste certificates, the rules define “sage soyare” as the relatives of Maratha people whose records have been found to be Kunbi. According to the notification, all “sage soyare” entities related to Maratha community members whose Kunbi records have been discovered will be granted certificates based on those individuals’ Kunbi records.
