Quota activist Manoj Jarange warns of another indefinite fast if Kunbi caste certificates not issued to 54 lakh Marathas in two days

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Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Tuesday demanded that 54 lakh Marathas be issued Kunbi caste certificates within two days or else he will start another indefinite fast if no decision was taken.

So far, 54 lakh records showing members of the Maratha caste as belonging to the agrarian Kunbi community have been found, and all these persons (or their descendants) should be given Kunbi certificates immediately, Jarange said. Kunbis enjoy reservation in government jobs and admissions to educational institutes under the OBC category.

"Otherwise, I will leave on January 20 to stage an indefinite fast in Mumbai," the activist told independent MLA Bachchu Kadu and Mangesh Chivte, an officer on special duty at the chief minister's office, who met him as the government's representatives at Antarwali Sarti.

Kadu and Chivte assured the activist that the government would issue the necessary ordinance about issuing certificates based on proof of bloodline and close relatives by Wednesday afternoon, newswire PTI reported.

During the public interaction with Jarange, Kadu said camps will be held across the state on January 17 and 18, and those who produce valid documents will be eligible to apply for the Kunbi caste certificate.

Meanwhile, as many as 14,148 Kunbi caste certificates have been issued by the administration after scrutinising more than two crore documents in the eight districts of Maharashtra's Marathwada region, MLA Bachchu Kadu said here on Tuesday.

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He was speaking to reporters on his way to meet, as the government's representative, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who has demanded, among other things, that Marathas be given Kunbi caste certificates as the Kunbis enjoy reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category.

The state government had assured, following a Jarang-led agitation for Maratha quota last year, that Marathas in Marathwada region would be given Kunbi certificates if they could produce documents from the Nizam-era showing that their ancestors were described as Kunbi.

Kadu also met Divisional Commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar here before speaking to the media.

The distribution of Kunbi certificates so far was not completely satisfactory but the work will continue apace during the next fortnight, the independent legislator said.

"So far, 2.02 crore documents have been scrutinised. As many as 31,576 mentions of Kunbi caste were found in these papers. Of 15,848 people who had applied for Kunbi certificates in the region, 14,148 persons were issued the certificates," he informed.

A government official said the highest number of certificates were issued in Beed district.

District-wise figures of certificates issued were as follows: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 1,513, Jalna 1,778, Parbhani 1,879, Hingoli 55, Nanded 127, Beed 6,387, Latur 119, Dharashiv 2,290. (With inputs from PTI)