Jalna, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has said his proposed march to Mumbai was certain and that the date for the mobilisation would be announced after supporters assembled at his current protest venue on September 12.
He warned he would take his protest to Mumbai after September 12 if his demands were not met. Because of the ongoing agitation, amid concerns over his health, Jarange said he would observe how camps for issuing Kunbi certificates were conducted and whether they were being organised. Because of Shirsat, taking aim at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat, Jarange said his relationship with Shinde had deteriorated.
“We have to respond according to the situation. Let us see how the camps for Kunbi certificates are conducted,” he said. Jarange said he would continue to speak out against what he described as mistakes by the chief minister and deputy chief ministers. “I will speak for the community, not for any political party,” he said.
Jarange, whose hunger strike over Maratha reservation entered its 13th day on Thursday, said he was not waiting for a state government’s delegation to visit the protest site. On Wednesday, he had accused state minister and Maratha quota sub-committee chairman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil of betraying the community through sweet-talk and assurances alone.
