Reservation activist Manoj Jarange appealed to the Maratha community on Sunday to participate in a statewide march, which he said would be the "final fight" to secure the quota under the OBC category.
He said the march would start from Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on August 27 and culminate in Mumbai by August 29.
"We will not return until we get the reservation. This is our final battle, and we are not going to back down," Jarange told a massive gathering in Antarwali Sarthi village in Jalna district.
He said politicians merely used the Maratha community to secure votes.
Jarange claimed the ongoing stir has already led to some gains. "Around 8 to 9 per cent of the reservation benefits are yet to be secured. We must persist until achieving the full reservation".
Jarange had undertaken multiple hunger strikes demanding the recognition of all Marathas as Kunbis- an agrarian caste listed under the Other Backward Classes category.
He has consistently called for the implementation of historical records, including the Bombay, Satara, and Hyderabad gazettes, which he claims document the classification of the Maratha community as Kunbis.
