Maratha Quota Activist Ends Fast, Warns State Govt Of 'Choking Mumbai' If Reservation Demand Not Met By 2 January

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Thursday (2 November) ended his hunger strike after nine days.

He has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the Kunbi (OBC) category.

Patil agreed to give the government until 2 January to fulfill the procedural requirements and meet his demands.

The activist, prior to ending his fast, issued a strong warning that if the government does not grant reservation to all Marathas within two months, he would "choke Mumbai."

In the past week, the agitation in different parts of the state escalated into violence, with protesters setting fire to the houses of MLAs and causing damage to government properties.

On Thursday, it was also decided that cases related to the violence in Jalna district will be withdrawn within 15 days, while cases in the rest of the state will be withdrawn within a month.

The decision to end the hunger-strike came after a two-hour meeting with a delegation comprising of four state ministers (Dhananjay Munde, Uday Samant, Sandipan Bhumre, and Atul Save), as well as retired judges Justice Maroti Gaikwad and Sunil Shukre, who visited the protest site in Antarwali-Sarati village in Jalna district.

Independent MLA Bachchu Kadu, a Maratha leader, who had been staying in Jarange's village since Wednesday, also played a role in convincing Patil, acting as the emissary of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“This is not over and the agitation will not stop. Only fast-unto-death has been called off. We had given 50 days to the government earlier and can give additional two months… It has been agreed today that going forward, not just Marathas from Marathwada but any Maratha from the state will be provided with Kunbi certificate, if they produce the required documents,” said Patil, Indian Express reported.

The Maharashtra government established a committee in October, led by Justice (Retired) Sandeep Shinde, to determine the process for granting Kunbi (OBC) certificates to Marathas.

The committee, which reviewed around 1.7 crore records and approved over 13,000 records for offering Kunbi status, submitted its first report last week. However, the government has requested additional time to finish the remaining tasks.

The government has been seeking more time to complete the remaining work. With Thursday’s development, the committee has two more months to complete the formalities.

Patil issued a stern warning to the ministers who had come to convince him, saying, “If the government fails to fulfil the promise by 2 January, we will choke Mumbai beginning 3 January. There will be economical, industrial blockage. No one will be allowed to come outside of their homes. Marathas from across the state will march to Mumbai…”

Earlier, retired Justice Gaikwad, who also headed the Backward Class Commission and based on whose report reservation to Marathas was extended in 2018, and Shukre held a discussion with Patil in the open, in the presence of other protesters.