Manoj Jarange Patil, a prominent activist for Maratha reservation, has declared a statewide 'Rasta Roko' protest scheduled for March 3rd.

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil has declared a statewide 'Rasta Roko' protest on March 3rd. He aims to push for the implementation of the 'Sage Soyare' ordinance notification. Jarange insists on converting the Maharashtra government's draft notification on 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas into law, rather than settling for the recently passed bill providing 10% reservation for Marathas under a separate category. He argues that placing the Maratha community under the OBC category would be unfair given the existing reservations for other castes and groups. The draft notification, which proposes recognizing the blood relatives of Kunbi Marathas for quota benefits, is under scrutiny due to numerous objections received. Jarange criticizes the government for not discussing this draft notification during the recent special assembly session. He believes the 10% reservation for Marathas won't hold up legally and claims that the community is dissatisfied with it. Jarange plans to convene a meeting of Maratha community members to decide on further actions. He also intends to continue his medical treatment as per the Bombay High Court's directive. CM Shinde, while presenting the bill, highlighted that 22 states in India have already surpassed the 50% reservation threshold.