India, Sept. 12 -- After the "victory" so triumphantly declared by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil recently, leaders of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) are pushing back, hard.

On Wednesday, a 35-year-old autorickshaw driver allegedly died by suicide in Latur district, with a note that said he hoped his sacrifice would ensure justice to his (OBC) community.

The Maratha quota issue is fast escalating, where Marathas are demanding Kunbi status to enable them to avail reservation benefits under the OBC category. After Jarange-Patil's recent agitation in Mumbai, the state government issued a government resolution (GR) accepting the Hyderabad Gazetteer as the basis for assigning Kunbi credentials to the Maratha community.

Putting...