- Manoj Jarange arrives at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after ending fast, currently receiving treatment at Galaxy Hospital.
- Jarange credits the Maratha community for scoring this victory and appeals to his followers to remain calm.
- Talks about village level committees to be set up to help Marathas establish Kunbi lineage.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange arrived at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar after ending his hunger strike in Mumbai on Tuesday, where he is under medical supervision at Galaxy Hospital for dehydration and low blood sugar.
Jarange ended his five-day hunger strike on Tuesday evening, after the Maharashtra government accepted most of his demands, granting Kunbi caste certificates to eligible Marathas and allowing them to avail of the Other Backward Classes quota in education and jobs.
Speaking to reporters, Jarange credited the Maratha community for “scoring a victory” which allows Maratha people from Marathwada and Western Maharashtra to access quotas. He also responded to his critics, saying this win marks the first time the state government had favored the community, and asserted members of his community would eventually understand his decision to end the protest. He also called out to his fellow agitators to maintain calm and have faith in his decision, adding that committees at the village level will be set up to help Marathas establish their Kunbi status.
The hunger strike was called off in the presence of senior BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan where Jarange and his supporters had been staging the protest since August 29. Jarange told his followers to remain peaceful in the aftermath of the protest and assured them the government representatives had given him their word “if anything goes wrong, we will get it corrected.”
Jarange also noted state minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s absence from the Wednesday cabinet meeting and saw it as an indication of their success in securing reservation. Bhujbal is a prominent leader from the Other Backward Classes, who has been opposing Jarange’s demands. OBC activist Laxman Hake also claimed the government does not have a right to accept the Maratha demand for Kunbi status and cautioned against further protests from Other Backward Classes. Activist Vinod Patil who has filed petitions concerning the Maratha quota also called the GR “completely useless” and will not benefit the community in any meaningful way. Jarange however asserted attempts from the opposition to take the matter to court will fail as the General Resolution passed on Tuesday is based on “a government document like a gazette.”
Additionally, the Bombay High Court sought a response from Jarange to petitions claiming large scale property damages caused by the protestors. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is reported to have removed over 125 metric tonnes of garbage from Azad Maidan and the surrounding areas, over the five-day period. Jarange’s advocate Satish Maneshinde maintained that no such damages had been caused.
(with inputs from PTI)
