Jalna Protest Leader Manoj Jarange is now the Face of Maratha Reservation Demand in Maharashtra

Manoj Jarange, a resident of Antravli-Sarati village in Ambad tehsil of Jalna district, is Maharashtra’s new face of the Maratha reservation fight.

Amid the power struggle in Maharashtra for more than three years, the reservation issue was on the backburner. The issue reached the high court and apex court during the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aaghadi (MVA) government, where the matter is still pending.

However, Jarange felt the state government must take steps to help the Maratha youth. He protested in August, which Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde took note of. However, with no firm assurance from the state government, he restarted his protest, a fast-unto-death, in Jalna on August 29.

On September 1, as his health started to deteriorate and he refused to break his fast, the local administration tried to convince him to get admitted to hospital, but Jarange refused. The tussle between his supporters and local police took a violent turn, as the police claimed the crowd attacked them, after which they had to lathicharge to control the crowd. Students, women and elders, along with policemen, suffered serious injuries.

The political drama surrounding the incident has put the ruling Mahayuti government in a huddle and reignited the reservation issue.

WHO IS MANOJ JARANGE?

• Jarange has been working as an activist for the cause of Maratha reservation since 2011. He was part of various Maratha community movements.
• He hails from Beed’s Matori village, but a few years ago, he settled in Ankushnagar in Ambad tehsil of Jalna district. He hailed from lower middle class family, but took up the issue due to his passion for social work.
• Jarange also sold his farm land to raise funds for the Maratha reservation movement.
• He has a wife and four children, three brothers and parents, who stay together in Jalna.
• An active member of the Congress earlier, he later parted ways and started his own outfit, ‘Shivba’, under which he worked aggressively in Marathwada for Maratha reservation and other social issues.
• There were allegations against ‘Shivba’ that they attacked the accused of Kopardi rape and murder.

HELD 35 MARCHES FOR MARATHA RESERVATION

Jarange has held many silent protest marches and conducted many programmes for awareness on the reservation issue.

In 2014, he held a huge march to the office of the Aurangabad Divisional Commissionerate. In 2021, he led a three-month protest in Jalna district.

So far, he has held more than 35 marches and agitations for Maratha reservation.