Manoj Jarange Patil is the face of Maratha reservation movement
New Delhi/Mumbai:
Manoj Jarange Patil, who was the face of the Maratha reservation movement, has refused to end his hunger strike even after the Maratha Reservation Bill was passed in the Assembly yesterday.
The Maratha community’s demand for reservation has been the focal point of discussion between community leaders and the state government.
Mr Jarange said it does not matter whether the Maharashtra government gives 10 or 20 per cent reservation, as long as the quota falls under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and is not separate.
He said that separate reservation could raise legal challenges as it would exceed the reservation limit of 50 percent.
Manoj Jarange Patil on assembly move
The Maharashtra Assembly yesterday unanimously passed the Maratha Reservation Bill, a law that will provide 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in both education and government jobs.
Manoj Jarange Patil said that the bill passed in the Assembly will not stand the test of law. Mr Patil said, “We have been demanding that we should be given quota in the OBC category. But the government has given us separate reservation which has crossed the 50 per cent limit. It will not stand legal scrutiny.”
He said, “We are Kunbi. We are already in the OBC category. Why do we need separate reservation? If one brother gets reservation, why not the other? It is our right.”
legal investigation
This is the third time in a decade that the Maharashtra government has introduced such a law. The first two attempts were rejected by the court for violating the 50 percent quota.
Just before the elections in 2014, the then Congress government led by Prithviraj Chavan had issued an ordinance imposing 16 percent reservation for Marathas. The Bombay High Court struck it down citing the 50 per cent limit imposed by the Supreme Court.
In 2018, the Devendra Fadnavis government announced 16 per cent reservation for Marathas, which was struck down by the apex court in 2021 as it violated the 50 per cent quota limit, and there were no ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify.
