Unite for quota cause or face consequences in assembly elections: Jarange

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday urged MLAs and MPs from his community to unite in the fight for reservation under the OBC category or face consequences in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections reported news agency PTISpeaking to reporters Manoj Jarange outlined plans to hold peaceful rallies in every district of Maharashtra from July 6 to 13 advocating for the Maratha quota demandLeaders of the Maratha community should attend these rallies in solidarity for Maratha reservation They should demand the implementation of the draft notification of Sage Soyare blood relatives and the old Hyderabad and Satara gazettes which have proved that Marathas are Kunbis he said reported PTIJarange has been at the forefront of protests demanding the implementation of a draft notification that recognises Kunbis as sage soyare blood relatives of Maratha community members He is also pushing for a law that identifies Kunbis as Marathas making them eligible for quota under the OBC groupingThose Maratha leaders who fail to support the reservation cause will face consequences in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections he added reported PTIThe polarisation of Maratha votes is believed to have benefited the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA in recent Lok Sabha elections to the detriment of the BJPJarange also accused Maharashtra cabinet minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal of uniting OBC leaders against the Maratha reservation reported PTIThe quota activist claimed he was lured and offered various positions to abandon the Maratha quota stir but he wont budge reported PTIIt seems the government is not keen to fulfil our demands so our struggle would last long he added reported PTIAmid the quota protests the Maharashtra legislature earlier this year unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobsMeanwhile Maharashtra Minister Shambhuraj Desai said the government will seek a report from the Jalna police regarding claims that Maratha quota activist Manoj Jaranges village was under drone surveillance reported PTIIf needed the activists security will be upgraded the minister said in the assembly while responding to the concerns raised by the Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar reported PTIWadettiwar alleged that Jaranges Antarwali Sarati was under drone surveillance and the government must provide security to himRaising the issue in the assembly Waddetiwar claimed that the activists life may be in danger reported PTIAntarwali Sarati has become the epicentre for protests for reservations for the Maratha community in government jobs and educationWith inputs from PTI