Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, on Tuesday, ended his five-day-old hunger strike in Mumbai after the Maharashtra government's cabinet sub-committee, headed by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Maratha quota, accepted most of his demands.
Patil met Jarange in the afternoon with other members of the cabinet sub-committee, Shivendrasinh Bhosale, Uday Samant, Manikrao Kokate at Azad Maidan, and discussed the draft finalised by the committee.
#WATCH | Mumbai: "Today is Diwali for us as we have got what we wanted," said Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil.
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2025
He broke down in tears as he accepted the Government Resolution (GR) given by the Maharashtra cabinet sub-committee on Maratha Reservation and broke… https://t.co/UnJNNJSQ1W pic.twitter.com/IAGha0Grj6
The sub-committee accepted Jarange's demands to implement the Hyderabad Gazette and stated that Marathas with Kunbi records will be given caste certificates after conducting a proper inquiry.
The Maharashtra government issued a resolution on the Hyderabad gazetteer and announced the formation of committees to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas who are able to produce documentary evidence recognising them as Kunbis in the past.
The government resolution (GR) was issued by the social justice and special assistance department in the backdrop of the breakthrough in talks between a delegation of cabinet ministers and Jarange on the fifth day of his hunger strike.
The GR stated, "In accordance with the historical references contained in the Hyderabad gazetteer, a dedicated scrutiny process shall be conducted to verify documents and establish eligibility of persons from the Maratha community for Kunbi caste certificates. The committee shall ensure that every claim is assessed in a time-bound and transparent manner."
Jarange has been demanding that Marathas be recognised as Kunbis—an agrarian caste included in the OBC (other backward class) category in the state. Classification of Marathas as Kunbis will make the former eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.
The GR directed that persons from the Maratha community who or whose ancestors held agricultural land prior to November 21, 1961, or earlier, must produce evidence such as old land records or extracts from relevant registers. Based on these records, the designated committee would conduct local enquiries and certify the claimants accordingly.
—With PTI inputs
