MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has begun his march to Mumbai to press for Maratha reservations, even though the Mumbai police has denied him permission to hold his indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan.
Thousands of Maratha community members from various parts of Marathwada have joined him, putting the Mumbai police and political establishment on alert as their arrival will coincide with the Ganpati celebrations. The Mumbai police has rejected two applications for permission to protest at Azad Maidan but the activist has submitted a third. thousands have joined him on his protest march, some even in cars Although he has appealed to people from the Maratha community not to accompany him. We have not yet responded.”
The activist set off from his village Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district on Tuesday morning and is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on September 19. Changing his strategy, Jarange-Patil said he will arrive at Azad Maidan with a select group of 50 protesters on September 18 and will honour the restrictions imposed by the police, but he will not call off his agitation. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday claimed, “We have fulfilled 12 of his 13 demands.
The one that has not been fulfilled is due to legalities involved.
Jarange-Patil must understand that any step taken against the court order could damage the interests of the Maratha community,” he said. On the police barring Jarange-Patil from protesting at Azad Maidan, Fadnavis said, “Ganeshotsav is celebrated in Mumbai and Pune with grand enthusiasm and any such protest leads to inconvenience to the people. Deputy commissioner of police Manish Kalwaniya said, “We have received a letter from Jarange-Patil seeking permission to protest.
