Jarange ends hunger strike, remains firm on Maratha quota demands

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil ended his hunger strike with water from a BJP MLA but asserted the agitation will continue. He remains firm on his demands, including reservation based on the Hyderabad Gazette and Kunbi certificates.

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Wednesday ended his hunger strike by drinking water offered by BJP MLA Prasad Lad, even as he maintained that he would remain firm on his demands and would call off the agitation only after their implementation begins. Jarange said that he had accepted water from Lad but made it clear that ending the immediate hunger strike did not mean withdrawing from the demands raised by the Maratha community. “I remain firm on my demands. I will not withdraw my indefinite hunger strike until all our demands are implemented,” Jarange said.

Core Demands of the Agitation

Jarange said the Maratha community’s claim to reservation was valid and argued that it is their rightful entitlement. “We do not want even 1% of the OBC quota — the only one we want is our rightful entitlement,” he said, adding that neither the OBC community nor the government should oppose the issuance of Kunbi certificates to members of the Maratha community.

A key demand raised by Jarange is the implementation of reservation-related measures based on the Hyderabad Gazette. He described the document as a pre-Independence record and called upon both the government and courts to accept it. Jarange also urged Prasad Lad to take immediate action on the issue. He said that if distribution of certificates based on the Hyderabad Gazette began, Maratha children would welcome the move.

Specific Implementation Measures Sought

Another major demand concerns the distribution of certificates based on the records of around 58 lakh Kunbis. Jarange has also sought the issuance of a government resolution concerning the Satara and Kolhapur princely states, along with immediate decisions on other pending issues concerning the Maratha community. "If certificate distribution based on the Hyderabad Gazette begins tomorrow, our children will be waiting to welcome them with flowers. We want the immediate distribution of certificates based on the 58 lakh Kunbi records, the issuance of the Government Resolution (GR) regarding the Satara and Kolhapur princely states, and immediate decisions on all other pending issues concerning the Maratha community," he added.

'Assurances Not Enough': Jarange

Jarange said he had placed his trust in BJP leaders Prasad Lad and Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil for the first time, but insisted that assurances alone would not be enough. “Vikhe Patil is playing games and lying—he always lies,” Jarange alleged, while reiterating that his agitation would not end merely on assurances. He said the hunger strike would be called off only after all his demands were met and their implementation had begun.

After drinking the water offered by Lad, Jarange was examined and treated by medical officials. He was administered an intravenous drip following the prolonged fast. Despite receiving medical attention, he reiterated that he remained steadfast on his demands.

Earlier on Sunday, Patil had called for the cancellation of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's event in Parbhani. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)