JALNA: Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday accused the Maharashtra government of diverting the core issue of Maratha reservation and claimed it was considering a separate quota for the community.Jarange continued his indefinite fast at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district for the third day on Monday over his demand that a special session of the Maharashtra legislature be convened to convert the draft notification on “blood relatives” of Kunbi Marathas into a law.In December last year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said a special session of the state legislature will be held in February, if necessary, to provide reservation to the Maratha community after reviewing a report of the Backward Class Commission.Notably, Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal has opposed the “backdoor entry” for Marathas in OBC quota.Jarange on Monday reiterated his demand for the immediate implementation of the draft notification, which stated that “sage soyre” or blood relatives of a Maratha person with records to show he belongs to the Kunbi community would also be recognised as Kunbi, an agrarian community that enjoys OBC quota.Responding to queries on the Maharashtra government’s intention to convene a special session to extend reservation to Marathas, he accused the government of diverting the core issue of quota for the community.
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