Maratha quota row: Maratha activist Manoj Jarange's hunger strike intensifies

Manoj Jarange Patil remains steadfast in his demand for "corrections" in the Government Resolution concerning Maratha Reservation. He unequivocally stated that his agitation for Maratha Reservation will persist until the government fulfills its commitments. This announcement follows Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's late-night meeting with Maratha agitators in Mumbai, which he termed as "positive."

After a meeting between a delegation of activists representing Jarange Patil and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, during which members of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation were present at the Sahyadri state guest house in Mumbai on Friday night, CM Shinde sent a message to Patil in a sealed envelope on Saturday. After reading the message, Patil declared that his agitation would continue and even suggested that it might escalate. He hinted at an intensified protest by stating his intention to abstain from consuming water and medications.

The activist has been on an indefinite hunger strike for the past 12 days, demanding official recognition of the entire Maratha community as Kunbhi.

"I was getting medical treatment and drinking water on the request of the state government delegation. However, the time to take a decision on the reservation ended today (Saturday). Starting Sunday, I am neither going to drink water nor avail of any medical treatment," Jarange told the media at the Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district.

"We had expected the state government to address our demands. However, we did not find anything on those lines in the recently issued government resolution (GR). Marathas and Kunbhis are being identified separately by the government, which states that only the people with genealogy documents proving to be Kunbhi will be given the certificates," he said.

Jarange Patil has reaffirmed his stance that the entire Maratha community in Maharashtra should be officially acknowledged as Kunbhis and granted Other Backward Castes (OBC) certificates. He has also expressed his willingness to provide support by presenting historical Nizam-era documents that demonstrate the Maratha community's prior inclusion under the OBC reservation.