Toughening his stance on the Maratha reservation issue, Shivba Sanghatana President Manoj Jarange-Patil went off water on Wednesday, the eighth day of his indefinite hunger strike, and warned that “the government will have to face the consequences”.Speaking to the media while lying on his mattress on a stage here, a visibly weak Jarange-Patil vowed that he will not back off till full quotas are given to the Maratha community under the ‘Kunbi Caste’ for which he has been on an agitation since Aug. 29.
“The people of Maharashtra are strongly resenting the government’s delay tactics… Though the documentary evidence is available, we are being denied reservation,” alleged Jarange-Patil, surrounded by hundreds of anxious villagers and his team. Earlier on Wednesday evening, he said that by seeking further extension to fulfil the demands of the Marathas, the Maharashtra government is “trying to kill time.”He added that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar will have to bear the repercussions of their acts.On Monday, following his deteriorating health, he had resumed drinking water, bowing to the pleas from the people in and around Antaravali-Sarati village. A day later, he even accepted a glass of water from the visiting Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj – the 12th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – but also made it clear that unless the Maratha quotas were announced before November 1, he would again go off water.
Marathas, who constitute nearly 33% of the state's population, have been demanding the reservation in education and government jobs. It was in the year 1981 when the state saw its first protests demanding the Maratha reservation under the leadership of the Mathadi Labour Union leader Annasaheb Patil.The community has been seeking Kunbi caste certificates for Marathas which will enable their inclusion in the OBC category for reservation. Kunbis, who are associated with agriculture, are grouped under the OBC (Other Backward Classes) category in Maharashtra.Manoj Jarange-Patil, a local Maratha leader, have been sitting on a hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village demanding reservations for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. It was only after his health deteriorated on the fourth day of the fast-unto-death agitation, that police intervened in the agitation. Jarange-Patil participated in more than 30 agitations for Maratha quota since 2011. In 2014 he led a huge rally at the Aurangabad divisional headquarters which established his identity as the front leader of the Maratha agitation across the state.