18 May,2026 08:23 AM IST | Mumbai | Sanjeev Shivadekar
CM Devendra Fadnavis said the government is issuing certificates in accordance with the law. FILE PIC
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday hit back at Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange over allegations that the state government was delaying the distribution of caste validity certificates to eligible Maratha applicants. Fadnavis said the government was issuing certificates strictly in accordance with the law and that all eligible applicants were receiving them. His remarks came a day after Jarange accused the chief minister of slowing down the process of issuing Maratha caste certificates.
Eight months after the cast certificate assurance, Manoj Jarange threatened to restart his agitation, alleging that the government of Maharashtra had failed to keep its promises.
Manoj Jarange breaks his fast last year. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Accusing Devendra Fadnavis of slowing down the distribution of caste certificates and claiming that the Maratha sub-committee was not functioning effectively, Jarange announced that he will resume his protest from May 30, with an indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district of the Marathwada region to press for the pending demands of the Maratha community.
Last year, following Manoj Jarange's indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai, the Maharashtra government accepted the demands of Maratha reservation activists and issued a Government Resolution (GR) in this regard. According to Jarange, the GR would allow Marathas in the Marathwada region to obtain caste certificates as the government agreed to issue Kunbi caste certificates to those who could prove their lineage through records in the old Hyderabad Gazette.
Marathas constitute around 28 per cent of Maharashtra's population of more than 12 crore, while Other Backward Classes (OBCs) account for nearly 53 per cent, and are spread across nearly 350 castes. According to a 2024 state report, over 21 per cent of Marathas live below the poverty line, higher than the state average of 17.4 per cent.
Until the 1990s, the community did not actively seek reservation, but after OBCs were granted a 27 per cent quota following the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations, many Marathas began to feel excluded from opportunities in education and government jobs and started demanding similar reservation benefits.
Fadnavis said that he and his ally Eknath Shinde were the only chief ministers in the state who had taken several decisions for the welfare of Marathas. Rejecting allegations that the government is delaying the process, Fadnavis said caste certificates were being issued to all eligible applicants after proper verification of documents. He also said that, unlike the Hyderabad Gazette, the Satara Gazette had not yet been notified because the matter was pending before the Supreme Court of India. "Since the Hyderabad Gazette itself is under challenge in the apex court, any move by the government must ensure that it does not amount to contempt of court," he said. Responding to criticism from Maratha activists, Fadnavis added, "In a democracy, people are free to speak."
