Maratha quota: Jarange announces indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday announced that he and his supporters would begin an indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from 19 September, demanding reservation for the community in jobs and education.

Jarange said the march to Mumbai would begin from Antarwali Sarati on 15 September, with the protest coinciding with the Ganpati festivities being celebrated across Maharashtra from 14 to 25 September.

The protesters will halt at Patoda in Beed on 15 September, Srigonda in Ahilyanagar on 16 September, Hadapsar in Pune on 17 September and Khopoli in Raigad on 18 September. They will then camp at Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai before proceeding to Mumbai.

Jarange said the indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai would begin at 10 am on 19 September.

“We have to continue the agitation peacefully until we return from Mumbai with reservation for our community. No one should resort to stone-pelting or arson. Vehicles should be driven properly and everyone should follow the code of conduct. We want to protest through democratic means and secure our rightful demand,” he said.

Jarange also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to obstruct the march.

“Fadnavis should not stop the Maratha community and I believe he will not do that. If police try to stop us with barricades, agitators should stop there and sit on the roads but should not touch the barricades. They should find an alternative route and reach the agitation site,” he said.

He added that if protesters were stopped, responsibility for such action would rest with Fadnavis.

Accusing the state government of failing to implement gazette-related demands and issue caste certificates on the basis of 58 lakh Kunbi records, Jarange said, “We will take this issue to Mumbai. This is the final fight and not a single Maratha should remain at home.”

He also appealed to women participating in the agitation to make peaceful visits to the residences of Amruta Fadnavis, wife of the chief minister, and Lata Shinde, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, after the Mahalaxmi festival. He suggested holding traditional haldi-kumkum programmes to convey their demand for reservation.

Jarange’s previous hunger strike in Mumbai in August-September last year brought parts of the city, including areas around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, to a standstill.

On Friday, the Bombay High Court declined to pass an urgent order seeking to stop his fresh protest in Mumbai. The court observed that every person has the right to protest and that a restraining order could not be issued merely on apprehensions of a law-and-order problem.

Jarange’s key demand is for a government resolution allowing Marathas to claim reservation available to the Kunbi community under the Other Backward Classes category based on old records and gazette documents. OBC groups have strongly opposed the demand, arguing that it could affect their share of reservation benefits.