Video Editors: Nitin Bisht, Kriti Saxena
"Form an SIT, do anything you want, I am ready to go to prison. If they put me in jail, I will unite all Marathas inside jail and start protests there but I won't give up," said Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil, as he sat candidly in a toys-cum general store that he had just inaugurated, surrounded by scores of people there to catch a glimpse of him.
At the beginning of the interview, he candidly asked if the chat will be in Hindi, and was relieved to know that it wouldn't be.
"With my Hindi, I end up saying things which messes up state politics," he joked.
Fondly referred to as Patil Saheb or dada, Jarange's movement shaking up Maharashtra's politics isn't as much of a joke, though. For the past eight months, his movement for reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and education has had the state government on the edge.
A fairly local activist confined to Marathwada, a lathi charge and tear gas shelling on his hunger strike in Jalna's Antarwali Sarati village made him a household name across the state. The move turned out to be an undisputed political misstep and united the Marathas like never before.
"The Marathas whose votes have given you the chair can also dethrone you. The community isn't small. If it decides, none of these leaders can grab power," he said, adding that the 10% reservation declared by the government in January is a betrayal of the community.
That begged the next question — Why the resolution to get Marathas reservation under the OBC category?
On 'Badi Badi Baatein', Jarange explains why he is firm on this demand, why the community is upset with the ruling government, and what is his movement's strategy to get back at the government despite not contesting Lok Sabha elections.
Who is Manoj Jarange Patil inspired by?
Only Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He has always been the one. He built Swarajya on the back of injustice. I am inspired by that Swarajya. I am fighting the same way on the same land. The way he would win wars with peace strategies, I am trying to do the same.
Where is the Maratha movement today? It began eight months ago, several rounds of talks happened with the chief minister, you were with him in Vashi when reservation was declared. Why is the movement still on?
The movement would not have continued if the government wouldn't have hated the Marathas so much. Some ministers hate Marathas so much that they are denying them their rights. They themselves admitted that 57 lakh records of backward Marathas have been found.
Which means 1.25 crore Marathas have benefitted from reservation so far. This was being denied for the past 70 years. This rebellion by the 1.25 crore Marathas, and all those who have been denied reservation so far, has left the government confused. Now, the movement is at the stage where we won't stop until the last Maratha gets reservation.
On 8 June, six crore Marathas have been invited in Beed for demonstrations on 900 acres of venue. If reservation (under OBC) is not declared before that, we will announce that day our decision to contest the Assembly elections. We will also announce when we will march to Mumbai.
Many across the country wonder why the demand for getting reservation under the OBC category when 10% reservation for the community has already been declared.
Records from years ago show that the Maratha community categorises as OBC. These records date back to when we weren't even a proper country. The British or the Nizam didn't think that these will be used in the future for reservation. The records at the time were taken as they were. In the whole country, Marathas have been the original OBCs having records to prove so. Nobody has that. This is the first reason.
Secondly, we don't want the 10% reservation because Indra Sahni's judgment says that reservation will not stand legally if it exceeds 50%. Why are they giving us reservation if it won't stand legally? Thirdly, the CM has said it in the Assembly that the Maratha community is proven to be backward. According to law, we need to be categorised as OBC. So, why didn't you include us in the existing 27% (reservation for OBCs in Maharashtra)? We don't agree with what has been given. The Marathas never demanded for separate reservation. Basically, they wanted to cheat us. Hence, they have come up with this reservation.
The reservations given under Mandal Commission are farce. Still, we haven't opposed those. But if our records have been found with the government and they still don't give reservation, it can't be labelled as our tantrum.
I am openly saying that we aren't encroaching upon OBC reservation but the OBCs are encroaching upon ours, simply because our records have been found with the government and theirs haven't been. In rural areas, all OBCs want Marathas to be included under OBC reservation. There are only 5-6 of these politicians who are claiming so. But people in rural areas don't think so.
The CM is confident that this reservation will stand legally and what happened with the previous reservations won't happen with this one. He said that it's legally strong. Do you not trust his claims?
Is he a legal judge? They had claimed the same about the 13% reservation they had given in the past. Why couldn't they uphold it? Lakhs of students had to return home after recruitments under it after the reservation was quashed on 5 May 2021. If he has such tall claims to make, why weren't all OBC benefits extended to Marathas under the new 10% reservation?
Who is making claims that this is at par with OBC reservation? We can't get either into engineering or medical with this reservation. Why did they give it? You have given us reservation at par with EBC (Economically Backward Class) standards. That we can avail anyway. Who said this reservation will stand? And if it is, why are we not already able to avail it? I will not let the lives of Maratha youth get wasted. I will not become their manager no matter how much strength they use. And they are trying to use strength.
Many feel that after declaring 10% reservation, CM Shinde's attitude changed towards you. He made several allegations against you in the Assembly, constituted an SIT too. Do you think his attitude changed towards you?
What if it has? I don't need to have a relationship with him. What do I have to do with him? I don't have any stakes either with the Opposition or the ruling parties. I am loyal to my community. The 6 crore people of the community are my wealth. I am lucky. For so many generations, the Marathas weren't united. Now, I am happy that that the community has united. I don't have any stakes with them.
But the Marathas whose votes have given you the chair can also dethrone you. The community isn't small. If it decides, none of these leaders can grab power. They have fooled us with the 10% reservation. No matter what you say in the Assembly, you have to face the people outside of it. How long will you last in power? Especially the way you have grabbed it? All the parties were in power (in Maharashtra) in the past five years. Has it happened in 75 years? Only BJP was out of power for a while, they too are in power now. The common people fought with each other for them. What are they supposed to do? These people are sitting next to each other now.
Many people believe that there were three key faces in the government - one was CM Shinde, second was Devendra Fadnavis who the community is upset with for the lathi charge and the cases. Third was Chhagan Bhujbal who was standing by the OBC community. Do you think he had the government's backing? Because he is claiming he didn't.
He could not have done it without the government's support. If he didn't have that, he would have been in prison over cases by now. No matter how much support he has, he cannot harm me. The CM was positive towards us but so was the community. The community didn't care what party he broke and who he sided with. The community felt that he was genuine and wanted to reservation to the community.
But the day he said 'he can take care of things if anybody crosses the limit', he lost credibility for the community. They all see me as their enemy, including the Opposition leaders. I have endured it all for the community. I am not afraid of them. Form an SIT, do anything you want, I am ready to go to prison. If they put me in jail, I will unite all Marathas inside the jail and start protests there but I won't give up.
I want to once again tell them through you that they should implement the 'sage-soyare' ordinance, declare all Marathas as Kunbis, and not mess with me. You took me lightly in the movement, don't take me lightly in politics. I can play you all.
Did any party offer you to contest elections?
All parties asked me to contest and promised that nobody from their party will contest against me. They asked me to contest unopposed.
But I am not selfish. My wife and children would have been happier in life crores of my children would have been left in the lurch. What do I have to do becoming an MP? I would have been in Delhi, had free train and flight travel, my wife would be having Gulab Jamuns there, but my community would still be dying of hunger. I don't need it.
But you don't think you could have changed things being in the system?
No, I believe in people-driven movements. Hence, I am not joining active politics. What didn't happen in 70 years is happening now. There are at least 92-93 constituencies where even if all communities are on one side, Marathas will still be the most dominant and influential. There are 92-93 seats like that where even if only Marathas vote, they can fall.
We have not fielded candidates in the state, neither are we backing anyone. We will make people lose. They must remember that they lost because of Maratha votes. Marathas must remember that there is victory in making them lose. We will take the strategy of making them lose this time.
If by 6 June, they don't declare reservation (under OBC), we will contest the Assembly elections. 100% of the Marathas must fight during the Assembly elections and take all castes and communities together. Being in power will be the only choice.
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