Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange will address a rally in Antarwali Sarathi village in Maharashtra’s Jalna on Saturday. Jarange had started a hunger strike late August seeking quota in jobs and education for Marathas and police action on his supporters at the stir venue on September 1 had brought the issue to the forefront of the state’s politics.
Starting Friday afternoon, a significant number of Maratha individuals have been arriving in the village from various districts via both train and bus. Around 6-7 lakhs of people gathered in Antarwali Sarati. The focal point of everyone's interest lies in the remarks to be delivered by Manoj Jarange Patil during the Maratha Samvad Mela taking place in Interwali. Manoj Jarange Patil is scheduled to engage with the Maratha community from 12 noon to 1 pm.
The rally will be held on a 160-acre plot and thousands of people are expected to attend, his associate and Maratha activist Bharat Mankar said on Friday. He has toured 13 districts after ending his strike and has conducted 75 meetings with community members. Thousands of volunteers are working to make the rally a grand success, Mankar added.
An official said a sizable number of police personnel have been deployed at the venue, including the superintendent of police, three additional SPs, six deputy SPs, 21 inspectors, 57 sub inspectors, 1000 constables, an SRPF contingent and four bomb detection and disposal squads (BDDS). Four drones will also be deployed to monitor the rally, the official said, adding that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Range Inspector General of Police Dnyaneshwar Chavan and in charge SP Shailesh Balkawde inspected the rally site during the day.
Jarane broke his 17-day hunger strike on September 14 after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at Antarwali Sarathi in Ambad tehsil and assured that his government would take all efforts to ensure his demands are met.