Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has issued a fresh ultimatum to the political parties in Maharashtra asking them to promise reservation before the elections are held in the state on November 20 or face a stiff challenge from the Maratha community including the prospect of losing out from power.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Patil, who came under the spotlight just over a year ago, said that the Maratha community will vote as a bloc for whichever side promises them reservation in unequivocal terms.
"The Marathas will vote for the side which promises reservation. Though parties have not done it so far, I feel some party will promise it soon. If they do not promise it before election day, we will not let them come to power," he said, adding that the quota provision for the community must be made within the existing limit of 50 percent so that it does not get struck down by courts.
"Marathas have to be treated as Kunbis. They are the same. Maratha reservation has to be given within the 27% meant for OBCs," he said.
Asked who between the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi has the edge in the coming Maharashtra elections, Patil said that whichever side Marathas vote will have the edge.
Notably, Jarange-Patil had announced that he will launch a party and field candidates in the Maharashtra Assembly elections but withdrew his decision just ahead of nominations.
Quizzed about his decision, the 42-year-old self-styled activist said that he withdrew from the election after realising that elections cannot be fought and won on the basis of Marathas alone.
"I realised that an election cannot be fought on the basis of one caste (Maratha). Three groups of people – Marathas, Muslims and Dalits – had to come together to win. I felt (despite my efforts) this was not happening… The final discussions took place on October 30 with representatives of the three groups. That is when I felt it would not work. I then thought why fight the elections if society was not going to benefit," he told IE.
Jarange-Patil also slammed the BJP, as well as its leader Devendra Fadnavis for leaving the Maratha quota hanging on the issue of reservation. "They are neither giving reservation nor opposing it. Just keeping us hanging. Devendra Fadnavis is not a good person. He will never allow the Marathas, Muslims, Vanjaras, Lingayats or Dhangars to get the benefit of reservations," he said.
He, however, also took potshots at NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde terming them two sides of the same coin.
Denying relations with Pawar, Jarange-Patil wondered why the senior Maharashtra leader did not provide reservation to the Maratha community.
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