Grant Kunbi caste certificates to 54 lakh Marathas in two days: Jarange tells govt

Jalna, Jan 16 (PTI) Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday demanded that 54 lakh Marathas should be issued Kunbi caste certificates within two days. He would leave his village Antarwali Sarti in Jalna district of central Maharashtra for Mumbai on January 20 to start another indefinite fast for Maratha reservation if no decision was taken, he warned.

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.

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.

Earlier in the day, Kadu told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar that as many as 14,148 Kunbi caste certificates were issued by the administration after scrutinising more than two crore documents in the eight districts of Marathwada region in the last two-three months. PTI