Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Maratha reservation leader Manoj Jarange Patil has appealed to the community members to suspend the ongoing chain strikes underway in villages for the past few months and get prepared to proceed to participate in the mega agitation in Mumbai on January 20.
Patil, however, clarified that the chain strike at Antarwali Sarati will continue as usual.
Patil is undergoing treatment in a city’s private hospital since Sunday afternoon. Hence, he spoke to media personnel at the hospital on Monday morning.
He said, “We have to conduct a mega programme that has not been held in the country till today in Mumbai on January 20. We will update the members about the lodging arrangements, the route maps to reach the venue in Mumbai, how to plan the trips, etc. The members should participate in the agitation on their own and at their convenience. If needed, be ready to sleep in your vehicles, but ensure the agitation is made successful.”
Not greedy to come to Mumbai
He said, “I would like to convey a message to the chief minister that we do not have any aspiration to come to Mumbai. However, it has been observed that the government is always ditching the community. Our wards should benefit from it. Hence, we are coming to Mumbai. There is no option left with the Marathas but to reach Mumbai. Our demand is to pass the law and grant the reservation as it was done for the OBC reservation.”
When informed that the state government had filed a curative petition against the verdict of scrapping the SEBC reservation in the Supreme Court, Patil reacted, saying, “We have not denied the reservation. However, the important question is about its sustainability. We want the reservation like the one granted to VJNT.”