Maratha quota crisis de-escalates, but CM Fadnavis warns blanket reservation ‘legally untenable’

In a significant de-escalation of a weeks-long political standoff, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ended his hunger strike on Tuesday after the Maharashtra government conceded to several key demands aimed at granting Other Backward Class (OBC) status to members of his community. The breakthrough, however, was immediately tempered by a stark admission from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that a blanket reservation for all Marathas was legally untenable.

The resolution was delivered to Jarange at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan by a high-level delegation led by Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on the Maratha quota. After reviewing the government’s written proposal, Jarange read its contents aloud to his supporters and, with their assent, formally called off his fast.

Central to the agreement, as reported by TOI, is the state’s immediate implementation of the Hyderabad gazette. This document contains historical records from the Marathwada region, which was part of Hyderabad until 1948, listing a large number of Marathas as Kunbis, an agrarian community already classified within the OBC bracket. The government resolution (GR) establishes village-level committees to issue ‘Kunbi’, ‘Maratha Kunbi’ and ‘Kunbi Maratha’ certificates, simplifying the process for individuals from Marathwada to obtain OBC certification.

According to the TOI report, the state has also agreed to paste 58 lakh such historical records outside village gram panchayat offices to aid residents in their applications and to expedite the issuance of caste validity certificates.

Furthermore, the government has committed to a month-long timeline to issue a similar GR concerning gazetteers from the Satara, Aundh and Pune regions, which are said to hold comparable historical records, pending legal examination. In a move towards reconciliation, the state will withdraw all cases filed against protesters during the agitation by the end of September and will provide compensation and government jobs to the kin of those who died in protest-related incidents.

Despite these concessions, CM Fadnavis struck a cautionary note shortly after the strike was called off. He emphasised that the solution was individual-based, not community-wide. “There are High Court and Supreme Court decisions against it,” Fadnavis was quoted as stating, clarifying that “reservation cannot be applied to an entire community. An individual has to apply for it.” He assured the OBC community that the process would not allow those without legitimate proof to access their quota, a primary concern raised during the negotiations.

Jarange’s agitation had taken a sharply personal tone, with the activist repeatedly targeting Fadnavis. He had insisted that the CM and both Deputy CMs be present for the resolution, warning that otherwise, “some bitterness will remain.” He also cautioned that he would “not allow ministers to roam free” if the government failed to implement its promises.