Jalna/Mumbai: Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, alleging a deliberate conspiracy orchestrated by the administration — specifically involving ministers associated with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde — to target the Maratha community.
Jarange Patil’s sharp reaction followed the cancellation of Kunbi caste certificates belonging to four women Maratha public representatives in the Marathwada region by the Caste Scrutiny Committee.
Addressing a press conference, Jarange Patil accused the government of intentionally issuing records only to revoke them later in a planned bid to isolate him politically and betray the community that voted them into power.
“A major, deliberate conspiracy has been hatched right from within the Maharashtra government,” Jarange Patil stated.
“The government gets elected by the Marathas and then betrays them. We will take the biggest revenge in 2029,” he announced.
Pointing to specific cases while presenting documents to media representatives, he claimed that the certificate of Jyoti Shinde was revoked out of political malice and widespread misunderstanding.
He also cited historical records — including an Urdu record for Yashwanta Dahihande registered at the Gram Panchayat level — alleging that Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule personally called officials to order cancellations after failing to win. “No government official possesses as much proof as we are presenting,” he remarked, questioning why legitimate certificates were being labeled as fake.
Responding to the allegations, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted any political or administrative interference, clarifying that the Caste Scrutiny Committee operates strictly as an autonomous body governed by Supreme Court directives.
“I have not heard Manoj Jarange Patil’s full remarks, but I want to clarify that when certificates go to the Caste Scrutiny Committee, they function under the rules laid down by the Supreme Court,” CM Fadnavis told reporters. He added, “The state government does not interfere in its functioning in any way.”
CM Fadnavis noted that while he did not have exact numbers on the cancelled Kunbi certificates, the committee routinely has a 10 per cent to 12 per cent rejection rate across various categories, which sometimes rises to 10 per cent to 25 per cent for non-Kunbi OBC certificates. “Therefore, no certificates are being rejected deliberately,” CM Fadnavis said.
“If anyone has objections, senior officials will look into whether proper procedure was followed. An appeal process is available, and deficiencies identified by the committee can be rectified. Even certificates of several Zilla Parishad members and municipal councillors belonging to the ruling BJP have been cancelled by the committee. There is no political interference, and no minister would engage in such actions,” he added.
(IANS)
