MUMBAI: A fortnight into his indefinite hunger strike to press for Maratha reservations, quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has announced that he will go ahead with his march to Mumbai and continue his agitation at Azad Maidan from September 19.
Calling it a “final and decisive” battle, he said lakhs of people would reach Azad Maidan for a peaceful protest – for the second time in just over a year.
His decision has the government on tenterhooks as memories of last year’s agitation are still fresh – 25,000 Maratha protestors had poured into the city in August, disrupting life in parts of South Mumbai for days. Jarange-Patil is demanding that Kunbi caste certificates – which would extend benefits from the OBC quota to Marathas – -should be given to the Maratha community on the basis of 5.8 million documents collected by the government. “The state government has lost the opportunity to stop us from marching to Mumbai but it can still come to Antarwali for talks before we begin our march, or meet us on the way to Mumbai.
The government has therefore urged the activist to withdraw his agitation. But Jarange-Pati is standing his ground. However, he offered the government a way out. He is also demanding implementation of provisions in the Satara, Kolhapur and Bombay gazetteers to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi certificates. Meanwhile, Amruta Fadnavis, wife of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has once again urged Jaranje-Patil to make sure his protest does not disrupt the Ganesh festival. “These are festive days. Responding to the invitation, the quota activist urged women from the Maratha community to visit the homes of Amruta Fadnavis and Lata Shinde, wife of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, and hold ‘haldi-kumkum’ programmes to press for reservations for Marathas.
He said the Maharashtra government had failed to honour assurances given during his protest in Mumbai last year and again during his hunger strike in May this year. The government can also hold talks with us at Azad Maidan and fulfil demands that have been pending for three years,” he said.
Referring to him as her ‘brother” on an earlier occasion as well, Fadnavis had invited Jarange-Patil to her home for a meal. Making the announcement in his village Antarwali Sarati on Saturday, Jarange-Patil has timed his Mumbai protest to coincide with the Ganesh festival. Keeping this in mind, I am sure my brother will do whatever he has to do peacefully,” she said in Ahilyanagar on Saturday.
