Day 2 of Maratha quota protest: Jarange firm on Kunbi certificate request, warns against march to Mumbai
Activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday (30 Aug 2026) stood firm on his demand for Kunbi caste certificates for all Marathas as his indefinite hunger strike entered its second day, warning that he would march in Mumbai if the Maharashtra government did not intervene.
Mr Jarange began his 11th indefinite fast on Saturday (August 29) for Maratha reservation demands in his native village Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district where thousands of community members gathered to support his agitation.
He demanded that eligible Marathas be recognized as Kunbis, an agrarian community that enjoys the benefits of reservation in education and government jobs under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.
“Maharashtra government should declare all Marathas as Kunbi,” the activist told reporters on the second day of his agitation.
Mr. Jarange said that if the government did not accept the demands, he would march to Mumbai and intensify the agitation.
Core committee meeting on September 12
On September 12, a meeting of the core committee of the Maratha community, which he leads, will be held at Antarwali Sarati to decide on the hunger strike in Mumbai.
“If the government accepts our demands by September 12, there will be no need to observe the proposed fast in Mumbai,” the activist said.
Mr. Jarange is demanding immediate issuance of Kunbi certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community based on 58 thousand historical records, saying the community will not give any more time.
He also asked that the verification of caste certificates be suspended, arguing that there is no need for it in cases covered by historical records.
The activist urged the state government to issue reservation under the Satara Gazette, withdraw all police cases registered against quota protesters across Maharashtra and provide government jobs and financial compensation to the families of those who died during previous agitations.
Mr. Jarange also demanded the immediate cancellation of a program for farmers and youth scheduled to be held at Parbhani in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde later in the day and warned that he would attend the event if it was not called off.
Jarange criticizes Jadhav
The program was organized by Parbhani MP Sanjay Jadhav, who recently joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Several local leaders and office bearers associated with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) are also expected to join the Shinde faction at the event.
The activist said he spoke to Mr. Jadhav on the phone, asked him to cancel the program and warned that he would attend the event if it was not called off.
He claimed that the certificates of Maratha community members were canceled and he would not remain silent on the matter.
“I never go to attack anyone. But the rightful certificates of Maratha community have been revoked. So cancel the program immediately or I will come there,” he said.
Mr. Jarange also criticized Mr. Jadhav and warned that the situation could worsen if he continued with the program.
“If I come there, they will face problems. The state will become unstable again and the blame will fall on you,” he said in a warning to organizers.
Caste Verification Commission
Meanwhile, Maratha Kranti Morcha State Coordinator Dr. Sanjay Lakhe Patil claimed that Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil had suggested that caste verification committees were unnecessary as such bodies did not exist elsewhere in the country.
This could cause confusion and resentment among the Maratha youth and members of other communities, said Dr. Lakhe Patil PTI.
Terming the notified proposal as “shocking, unconstitutional and illegal”, he said the concept of Caste Scrutiny Committees was not limited to Maharashtra, citing a Supreme Court judgment in which directions were issued for setting up independent Scrutiny Committees for verification of caste and tribal certificates.
He said the verification mechanism is to prevent misuse of reservation by people producing fake caste certificates and ensure that the benefits of quota go to genuine persons.
Dr. Lakhe Patil warned that any attempt to abolish the Caste Verification Committees could face legal challenges, saying the issue is about the exclusive rights of people belonging to different castes and tribes and is not limited to the Maratha community.
On 25 August, the state government granted a one-year extension to the committee to examine the Kunbi records of the Maratha community.
The tenure of the committee, headed by former Bombay High Court judge Sandeep Shinde — which ended on June 30, 2026 — has been extended by a year to June 30, 2027, according to a Cabinet Resolution (GR) dated August 25.
A multi-member panel was constituted in September 2023 to decide on the methodology for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to members of the Maratha community to enable them to seek reservations in government jobs and education under the OBC category.
The GR said that the work of tracing the Maratha-Kunbi family tree was still incomplete in some districts and hence the panel needed to be given more time to complete its task.
Published – 30 Aug 2026 14:47 IST