Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Maratha reservation leader Manoj Jarange Patil today announced the route of the long march to Mumbai so that the participants could reach safely and participate in the mega agitation in large numbers.
Patil to press the demand of granting reservation to Marathas from OBC quota will be heading to Mumbai with lakhs of community members on January 20. Earlier, the due date to grant reservation was December 24.
While speaking to media persons from the private hospital where he is undergoing treatment, Jarange Patil said, “ We are not in a hurry to reach Mumbai on a specific day. We are not even worried about the days it would take to reach Mumbai. Our motto is that we have to participate in the agitation at any cost.”
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The route
The journey will start from Antarwali Sarati (Jalna) on January 20 at 9 am. The route includes Shahagad, Gevrai (Beed), Padalsingh, Pathardi, Teesgaon, Karanji Phata, Ahmednagar, Kedgaon, Supa, Shirur, Shikrapur, Ranjangaon, Wagholi, Kharadi Bypass, Chandannagar (Pune), Lonavala, Panvel, Washi, Chembur and Azad Maidan (Mumbai).
The leader of each team and the volunteers should arrange for the food and water of the community members. There will be one vehicle laden with 50 kgs of Bajra flour, 50 kgs of wheat flour, 50 kg of rice, pulses, small stoves, drums to store water, tankers etc. Take a halt in the mid-way, cook your meals; eat and resume the journey towards Mumbai, he appealed.
More than 2 lakh volunteers
Millions of community members are expected to participate in the foot march. To ensure all is well and there is no inconvenience to participants, there will be around 2.25 lakh volunteers deployed on the route. The participants in the long march will move ahead forming groups. Besides, the Maratha community members from Mumbai and other parts of the state should participate in the march, setting aside their differences, Jarange appealed.