Jarange-Patil calls for ‘final agitation’ as Ganeshotsav begins

Jarange-Patil will begin his march from Antarwali Sarathi in Jalna district on August 27, Ganesh Chaturthi, and is expected to reach Mumbai on August 29.

Mumbai: As the city prepares for Ganeshotsav celebrations, Maratha quota campaigner Manoj Jarange-Patil is set to launch what he has termed his “final agitation” demanding reservation for the Maratha community.

Jalna, India- July 21, 2024: Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil launched fresh indefinite hunger strike from Antarwali (Sarathi) village for implementation of Maratha quota demands. July 21, 2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

Jarange-Patil will begin his march from Antarwali Sarathi in Jalna district on August 27, Ganesh Chaturthi, and is expected to reach Mumbai on August 29. He has announced a sit-in hunger strike at Azad Maidan, declaring it as the community’s decisive push for quota under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

“We will come peacefully, we will demand for reservation peacefully… Once we get the reservation, we will go back peacefully,” Jarange-Patil said at a rally in Beed on Sunday. “Peaceful means peaceful — no incidents of arson, no incidents of stone-pelting. Let us show our strength.”

The state government, which has declared Ganeshotsav as Rajya Mahotsav or State Festival this year, is wary of law and order challenges in Mumbai if a large mobilisation coincides with the festivities.

In his Beed rally, Jarange-Patil appealed to Marathas across the state — including elected representatives, officers, doctors, lawyers and professionals — to support the protest. “The community must turn up in such large numbers that it unsettles the government,” he said.

Rejecting government appeals for dialogue, he warned that the agitation would go ahead unless the reservation was granted by August 26. “We have no interest in going to Mumbai if the government grants us the reservation,” he said. “But if they try to provoke us or hurt me, the Marathas would show their real strength.”

Jarange-Patil has repeatedly pressed for Kunbi certificates to be issued to Marathas, enabling them to qualify for OBC benefits. He has made it clear that protesters will not leave Azad Maidan until the demand is met.

Government’s stance

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government had already extended several benefits to the community. “There is nothing wrong if somebody is protesting in a democratic way. But our government has done a lot for the Marathas — 10% reservation in jobs and education, hostels, financial assistance for entrepreneurship. We have created over 150,000 entrepreneurs from the community,” he said.

Chandrakant Patil, higher and technical education minister and member of the state’s sub-committee on Maratha reservation, urged Jarange-Patil to engage in talks instead of resorting to fresh protests. “While everyone has the right to agitate lawfully, any agitation that strays from the path would compel the government to act,” he said.

The background

The Maratha quota demand has been one of Maharashtra’s most contentious political issues in recent years. Following earlier rounds of hunger strikes and protests by Jarange-Patil, the government claims it has scrutinised more than 5.6 million historical documents and issued over six lakh Kunbi certificates to members of the community.

However, Jarange-Patil insists that the effort must go further. His demand remains a blanket OBC reservation for all Marathas — a position that sets the stage for another confrontation between his campaign and the state government, right in the heart of Mumbai during the state’s biggest festival.