Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil has announced a new round of protests in Mumbai to demand that the state government grant Marathas reservation in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
The protests will begin on January 20, when Jarange Patil and his supporters will march from Antaravali Sarathi to Mumbai. The march is expected to last several days and will culminate in a hunger strike in Mumbai. Jarange Patil has also threatened to stage a protest outside the home of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis if the state government tries to block the march or stop Maratha protesters from entering Mumbai.
"We are not going to be intimidated by the state government," Jarange Patil said. "We will not stop until we get justice for the Maratha community." Jarange Patil has said that he expects millions of Marathas to participate in the protests. He has also called on all Marathas to set aside their differences and unite for the cause of Maratha reservation.
Background
The Maratha community is a large and influential group in Maharashtra. They have been demanding reservation for decades, arguing that they are economically and socially backward. In 2018, the Bombay High Court ruled that Marathas were eligible for reservation. However, the Supreme Court overturned that ruling in 2020.
Since then, Maratha activists have been staging protests demanding that the state government find a way to grant Marathas reservation.