Manoj Jarange Suspends 20-Day Hunger Strike After Talks With Maharashtra Govt Delegation

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Thursday suspended his indefinite hunger strike on its 20th day after talks with a Maharashtra government delegation in Patoda, Beed district. The delegation sought three months to address his key demands. This was Jarange’s 11th agitation over the past three years.

Jarange said the suspension did not mean the agitation was over. He said he was suspending his fast for 90 days and giving the state that period to act on the issues discussed during the talks. He said he was prepared to trust the government for three months after the Patoda meeting.

The protest centres on the long-running Maratha reservation fight and the push for Kunbi recognition under the OBC category. The talks also revolved around nearly 58 lakh archival records identified in the search for Maratha-Kunbi links.

Patoda Talks Details

Cabinet ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Dada Bhuse attended the talks. BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and BJP MLC Prasad Lad also reached Patoda at around 5.40am to discuss Jarange’s demands on the government’s behalf.

After the meeting, Jarange said the discussions had been positive on his five main demands. He then announced that he was pausing the fast for 90 days rather than withdrawing the agitation.

He also set out the immediate terms for the suspension. Jarange gave the government three months to issue the required government resolution and carry out the Gazetteer-related measures discussed during the Patoda talks.

Key Maratha Demands

Jarange’s core demand was OBC Kunbi status for Marathas, a point that has remained central to the Maratha quota movement.

He pressed for the Hyderabad, Satara and Aundh Gazettes to be formally recognised and implemented so that Kunbi lineage could be established across Marathwada and western Maharashtra, as reported by India Today. He also wanted an amended Government Resolution that matched those gazetteers.

Jarange further demanded a written assurance that not a single record would be deleted from the nearly 58 lakh records identified in the search for Maratha-Kunbi links. He wanted that assurance signed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Warning And Next Steps

Jarange coupled the suspension with a warning. “If the government betrays us, we will go to Mumbai,” he said, while appealing to more than 1 lakh supporters who, according to him, had travelled towards Mumbai, to return home.

He also struck a political note before ending the fast. Jarange said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was not his enemy and indicated that he would continue to maintain affection for Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, even as he insisted that he would not compromise on the Maratha community’s demands.

After ending the fast, Jarange left Patoda for a private hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city. He had been undergoing treatment there periodically for the past three years.