Jarange Patil, who announced that he may choose to field independent candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls, now spends his days in Antarwali Sarati, surrounded by petitioners lobbying for his support.
Published Nov 02, 2024 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 02, 2024 | 9:00 AM
Manoj Jarange Patil. (Creative Commons)
The hunger strike in the Jalna district of Maharashtra in August 2023 seemed random, one among the numerous protests that take place across the country now and then, until it took a surprising turn.
A farmer named Manoj Jarange Patil was leading the hunger strike in a small village called Antarwali Sarati. The standard sit-in for the popular yet tired cause of the Maratha reservation had not expected any immediate results. However, out of nowhere, on the fourth day of the strike, everything changed.
A scuffle broke out between Jarange Patil’s supporters and the police, who were trying to forcibly admit him to a hospital. After several rounds of teargas shelling, lathi charges, and multiple arrests, news channels were flashing headlines and newspapers were scrambling to rearrange the next day’s page one with the new lead story.
The police action in the face of a non-violent protest suddenly made the frail 41-year-old farmer — till then, one among many agitators for the cause — the most important face in the fight for the Maratha reservation.
Jarange Patil, who announced that he may choose to field independent candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls, now spends his days in Antarwali Sarati, surrounded by petitioners lobbying for his support.
Recently, he announced that he would be joining forces with Dalit and Muslim leaders to form a Common Minimum Programme to “challenge the established power and defeat those who work against our communities”. With Assembly polls due in three weeks, he is now viewed as a third front and a potential kingmaker.
He has been advocating for including Marathas under their sub-caste Kunbi — who are included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category — automatically giving the prominent community 27 percent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.
While no party is openly against Maratha reservation, leaders of the OBC community are up in arms against the proposed inclusion in their category, saying the community, accounting for 28 percent of the state’s population, may eat up their quota.
Leaders of both communities are major players in the ruling as well as Opposition alliances, and hence no side has actually declared a clear stance either for or against the issue.
Dressed in his customary all-white outfit and a saffron scarf, Jarange Patil spoke to South First about the OBC issue, the need for reservation, and the problems of the state.
Q: Maratha reservation has been a simmering issue for over a decade now, and you are the man credited with bringing it back into the political spotlight. What compelled you to back this cause?
A: I joined the struggle about 20 years ago. I was moved by people’s struggles and their problems. Youngsters, especially the ones with higher education, were not getting employed. Poverty was at an all-time high and showed no signs of decline.
Reservation seemed like the only way.
Q: The Maratha community has had several prominent rulers in the past. It is considered to be a ruling caste, dominating politics, educational institutes, and industries across the state. Why does the community feel the need for reservation?
A: Reservation, I feel, grants a group of people government-sanctioned benefits that make their lives less difficult. Everyone has the right to demand it from their government — the wealth and status of a few people in the community cannot be a factor here.
Moreover, as Kunbis, we already have the right. We are simply demanding that all of us be included in a pre-existing category.
Q: Your stance of demanding inclusion in the OBC category has alienated several leaders from the community. Members of the OBCs are worried that their share in the quota may be affected. What message would you give them?
A: This so-called rift between the Marathas and OBCs is a perspective that a few leaders have been perpetrating for their political gains. We are not separate people, let alone enemies.
We live next to each other in the villages, we are there for each other in good and bad times, and our lives are firmly entwined. This narrative is a ploy to divide us and pull focus from the main picture.
Moreover, these leaders added 17 new castes to the OBC category last month, was that not an infringement? Kunbi-Marathas have been part of the category ever since the Nizam of Hyderabad ruled Marathwada. We are not taking anyone’s share. It is ours by right.
Q: When you announced last month that you may be fielding candidates, you also said that you would consider backing a party’s candidates if they approached you and promised in writing to support the Maratha cause. Have the alliances approached you and are you considering supporting them?
A: I have been surrounded by politicians ever since the polls were declared. Whenever someone fails to get a ticket from their party, they come and click a picture with me.
Then they go back and use it as leverage with their parties to get a ticket. Party leaders have come by as well, and I am in talks with them. I won’t be declaring anything just yet.
Q: Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati approached you recently, and suggested you join forces with him under his Maharashtra Swarajya Paksh rather than field independent candidates. Are you considering that?
A: Sambhajiraje is Shivaji Maharaj’s descendent, and we have nothing but respect for the throne he occupies. His point was that independent candidates may turn against the cause once elected, and contesting would be difficult also since everyone would be getting a different symbol.
However, I don’t find it to be much of a risk. People will know who I support. And regarding the claim of people turning against the cause after winning, I don’t need a party whip to keep my people in line. They are committed to the cause.
Q: The state looks to you as a fair and objective leader. What do you feel are some of the bigger issues Maharashtra is facing right now?
A: There are so many. Safety and security are a big concern, especially for women. Farmers are suffering as well, and there are no guarantees that they will be getting MSP [Minimum Selling Price] for their produce from this government.
The poor are getting poorer, prices are skyrocketing. We try to help wherever we can and will continue to do so, whether we are in power or not. We need a government that is committed to the Maratha cause and the farmers.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
