Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil and his supporters declared victory on Tuesday, the fifth day of his indefinite hunger strike, after the Maharashtra government agreed to fulfill most of his demands, including the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates. Addressing his followers at Azad Maidan, Jarange said he would vacate Mumbai by 9 pm if the government resolutions on the Maratha quota were officially issued. “We have won," Jarange said to his supporters. “We will leave Mumbai by 9 pm today if the Maharashtra government issues GRs (government resolutions) on the Maratha quota demands," he affirmed, reported Hindustan Times.
The announcement followed his meeting with the cabinet sub-committee, led by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, accompanied by Shivendrasinh Bhosale, Uday Samant, and Manikrao Kokate. According to Jarange, the government accepted key demands, including implementing the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes, which recognize Marathas and Kunbis as the same community, as well as enforcing the “Sage Soyare” (blood and marital relatives) notification issued earlier. He stressed that his demand was for all Marathas in Marathwada, once classified as Kunbis during the Nizam era, to receive equal recognition today, reported Hindustan Times.
Jarange further revealed that the state administration had agreed to withdraw cases filed against Maratha protesters during previous agitations. The developments came after a delegation headed by water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil met Jarange at Azad Maidan, where he has been on hunger strike for five days. The delegation handed him the draft of the government resolution (GR), formally acknowledging his demands. Jarange emphasized that while progress had been made, he was determined to ensure that written government resolutions were issued before ending the protest, reported Hindustan Times.
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“We have received a copy of the draft GR, and a group of experts will study it in one hour. Once approved by them, the government will issue the government resolution within an hour, after which we will make a decision on withdrawing the stir. We do not want to fall flat on our faces like it happened during the agitation at Vashi in January 2024. Once the GRs are issued, I assure the government that Mumbai will be vacated by 9 tonight,” Jarange-Patil said, addressing his supporters at the venue, reported Hindustan Times.
He clarified that the state government had agreed to implement the Hyderabad gazette immediately, while the Satara and Pune-Aundh gazettes would take another month due to pending legal complexities. Additionally, the delegation assured that all pending criminal cases filed against Maratha protestors in 2023 and 2024 would be withdrawn. Compensation and jobs on compassionate grounds were also promised to families of youths who died by suicide during the agitation, with positions in state transport and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation offered as part of relief measures, reported Hindustan Times.
Based on the 5.8 million Kunbi-related records traced by the state government, Jarange insisted on forming taluka-level committees to simplify the process of issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas. He further urged immediate clearance of certificates already issued by caste validation committees. Stressing accountability, Jarange highlighted the need for faster verification so that eligible Marathas could benefit without further delays. His supporters at Azad Maidan welcomed the assurances, but Jarange maintained that his agitation would conclude only after the government formally issued and notified all promised resolutions, reported Hindustan Times.