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After a quota activist died by suicide Thursday, leaders of the Maratha Kranti Morcha have urged people to desist from taking drastic steps in the name of reservation, warning that suicides will only complicate things and not help to achieve the goal.
“Sunil Baburao Kawle, a youth from Jalna, died by suicide in Mumbai on Thursday. A suicide note recovered by police from his bag revealed that he ended his life for the sake of reservation,” Morcha coordinator Vinod Patil said Friday.
The death triggered messages from community leaders to calm down and prevent the youth from taking extreme steps.
Appealing to Maratha youths to not sacrifice their lives, Patil said, “This is not the way to get the issue of reservation resolved. The Maratha community has a history of fighting battles and winning them. We should not get depressed and give up the fight halfway. We will have to keep fighting till we get to the logical conclusion.”
Patil also urged the Maharashtra government to act fast. “The issue of reservation will become very serious from here on. It is related to our lives. The government should give reservation to the community at least now or is it waiting for more lives to be sacrificed?” he said.
Calling upon the government to take steps to stop suicides by Maratha youths, Patil said, “If suicides by youngsters from the Maratha community are not prevented, it might lead to an inevitable upsurge in violence.”
Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is leading the community’s agitation for reservation, held the government responsible for the suicide. “What is the point of having reservation if our youths are going to sacrifice their lives? Maratha youths should not resort to such extreme steps. We are fighting for reservation and we are going to have it soon. Our brothers should not resort to such steps. We are trying to get reservation for the younger generation. If they are going to die, then there is no point in getting reservation.”
Jarange-Patil also said the government should take responsibility for the Jalna man’s death. “The government has an October 24 deadline. It should decide before the date whether it wants to give us reservation or not,” he added.
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Rajendra Kondhare, who heads Maratha Mahasangh, expressed shock at the suicide and called for immediate steps by the government before things go out of hand. “Six years ago, when the Maratha reservation agitation started, a youth ended his life and a series of suicides followed. We hope the situation does not grow so worse. For this, the government will have to act decisively and calm down the inflamed nerves of Maratha youths. There is anger, frustration and resentment in the community over the delay in getting reservation and this is leading to drastic steps.”
Kondhare said the problem was that opportunities for the youth were fewer in the Marathwada region. “Marathwada is a drought-hit region. There are no job opportunities. Farming has been hit by years of repeated droughts. No income from farming, no job opportunities…families who have stayed back in Marathwada are in a precarious situation and this is driving their sons to take extreme steps,” he said.
Kondhare further said that in the absence of stable income, the Maratha community in Marathwada was caught in a vicious circle thanks to money-lenders. “Several families run up huge debts taken for farming, marriages and other purposes. Some people think if they end their life, their families will get a job and Rs 10 lakh assistance, which will help them clear their loans. They end their lives hoping that their families will live in peace. This kind of sacrifice is uncalled for. It has to stop…,” he added.
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