Jarange asks Modi, Persian script readers to help trace Kunbi records, hits out at Shinde

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil held a press conference on Monday (September 22) and gave details of a state government decision meant to speed up the search for old Kunbi records. Jarange said the government has issued an order giving special authorisation to scholars who can read the Modi and Persian scripts, so that old records in these scripts can be located. He said this move would help in searching for entries in old documents.

Jarange appealed to people across the state who can read Modi and Persian script to join this drive. According to him, interested persons should register their names at Galaxy Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar between September 23 and 27. He said the names of registered scholars would be officially forwarded by the government to the committee appointed to trace old records.

Jarange also appealed to those who can read Modi or Persian script, or who have knowledge of tracing genealogies, to contribute to this work for the benefit of the community. He said evidence needs to be searched for in documents linked to Satara, Kolhapur, Trimbakeshwar, as well as old marketplaces and jails, and other locations. He said consideration would also be given to whether a search could be carried out in documents in Pune and Delhi.

Jarange alleged that the search for old records is not yet complete, and that in some places officials have not done enough work on this front. He said the effort is to speed up the work by ensuring at least one scholar who knows Modi and Persian script is available in every taluka of Marathwada. Jarange said there was no need to express distrust in the Shinde committee, but said that since the government does not have enough manpower, scholars of these scripts from within the community should come forward.

At the press conference, Jarange also commented on the alleged inquiry into his associates. He said the allegations should be investigated and that he was ready to face it. However, he alleged that people who help the Maratha agitation financially or otherwise are being targeted. He asked whether, if agitators are being investigated, wealthy Marathas should not help poor agitators at all. On this issue, he criticised Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and also spoke of a political response, referring to the 2029 election.

Jarange firmly said that even if he or his associates in the agitation have to face inquiry, the stand of the agitation will not change. "I am willing to go to jail, but I will not bow down," he said. He again alleged that certain individuals who help the agitation are being targeted. Responding to a question about a video, he commented on the relationship between wealthy, poor and politically connected Marathas, and said his stand would not change whether or not reservation is granted.

Claiming that the Maratha agitation and the agitators were discussed at a state cabinet meeting, Jarange again criticised Shinde. He raised several questions about permission for the agitation, the inquiry into agitators, and the government's alleged stance.

Meanwhile, Jarange had suspended his 20-day hunger strike on September 17. He had then said the government had been given three months to act on demands related to Maratha reservation, and that the agitation was not over. He has now focused on tracing old Kunbi records by appealing to scholars from the community to join the work of locating entries in Modi and Persian script.