22 June,2024 06:36 PM IST | Jalna | mid-day online correspondent
Pic/X@girishdmahajan
OBC Activists Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare ended their hunger strike on Saturday demanding that OBC quota should not be diluted, reported PTI.
As per the PTI report, this comes after the activists had a meeting with a Maharashtra government delegation.
The duo had launched the indefinite fast on June 13 as a counter to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange's demand that Marathas should get reservation in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. Jarange and his associates have been seeking Kunbi caste certificates for Marathas, a demand opposed by OBC leaders.
"We are temporarily suspending our protest. If our demands are not met, we will resume it," Hake told reporters at Wadigodri village in Jalna district of central Maharashtra after meeting the delegation.
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A "white paper" should be issued about objections to the government's draft notification which seeks to give Kunbi certificates to 'sage-soyare' or kin of Marathas who have already established their Kunbi status, he said. Kunbis are an agrarian OBC community.
In a meeting called by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on Friday, it was decided that OBC quota will not be touched, and action would be taken against fake Kunbi certificates issued to some Marathas, he said.
Chhagan Bhujbal urged the Maratha community to demand a separate reservation in government jobs and education rather than claiming the OBC status.
"Do not take our share," the senior NCP leader said, asserting that reservation is meant for removal of social backwardness and not for poverty alleviation.
As per the PTI report, he also praised his cabinet colleague Girish Mahajan for stating that the draft notification on 'sage-soyare' would not stand legal scrutiny.
Bhujbal averred that "we will not tolerate injustice," asking OBC communities to stay united.
He also alleged that 'certain individuals' conspired to defeat BJP candidate and OBC leader Pankaja Munde in the Beed Lok Sabha constituency. Munde lost to her nearest NCP (SP) rival.
Bhujbal also reiterated the demand of caste census, and claimed that deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis supported it.
"We demand caste census and reservation in state assemblies and Parliament as per our population, which is 54 percent," he said.
