Mumbai: The Maharashtra government’s recent Government Resolution (GR) granting Kunbi status to Marathas of Marathwada ended activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s hunger strike. But far from ending the controversy, the move has ignited fresh doubts and sharp criticism from within Jarange’s own camp.
While the state claims the GR will ease issuance of caste certificates and extend reservation benefits, critics argue it offers nothing substantially new, raising fears that the community has once again lost out in the legal and political battle.
Govt Claims Victory, But Leaders Unimpressed
The GR has been showcased by the government as a breakthrough solution. But Advocate Yogesh Kedar, a close aide of Jarange Patil and one of the key members of the protest movement, bluntly rejected the resolution.
“Govt has won, Marathas lost. Every time Marathas have won in the battlefield, we lost on the table,” Kedar told The Free Press Journal.
He alleged that the GR is merely a rehash of earlier processes:
“I went through all the pages of the GR and told Jarange that there is nothing new. Last time, when we protested at Vashi, the government misled and trapped us. This is the same story again.”
Legal Advice Ignored, Movement’s Power Weakened
Kedar revealed that Jarange had entrusted him with checking the GR during talks with the government delegation.
“Jarange told me he is not well-versed with the law and asked me to vet the resolution. I told him clearly that this GR means nothing, but still he accepted it in haste,” Kedar said, adding that legal advice was ignored, weakening the movement’s negotiating power.
“After the Indra Sawhney judgement, any community proven socially and economically backward could go into OBC. The commission already found Marathas eligible under Articles 15(4) and 16(4). Yet the state has failed to use this route. Instead, they are giving us meaningless paperwork,” he argued.
“This GR is Garbage”
Kedar did not mince words in his final assessment:
“This GR is garbage. It doesn’t mean anything for the community. I have been going village to village for two years, telling people that our share lies in OBC — and we must take it back.”
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The Bottom Line
Jarange’s fast may have ended, but the GR has split opinions inside the Maratha movement. For the government, it was a tactical win, but for many community leaders, it feels like yet another betrayal — a symbolic step with no real reservation benefit in sight.
