Maratha quota stir Day 3 : ‘From tomorrow I shall fast unto death,’ says Manoj Jarange– top developments | Mumbai News

MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Sunday said that from Monday he would stop drinking water and intensify his indefinite hunger strike. Jarange said the Marathas would not leave Mumbai until they were granted reservation under the OBC quota. “Since the government is not listening, I will stop drinking water too. I was drinking water for the last two days, but now I will stop. I will strengthen my hunger strike. I will not leave Mumbai till we get reservation. I will get reservation at any cost and give it to you,” Jarange Patil said. Meanwhile, the state government’s cabinet subcommittee on Maratha reservation, led by BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, began deliberations on Sunday morning. Ministers Girish Mahajan, Shivendraraje Bhonsale and Dada Bhuse also attended the meeting. Jarange-Patil said he had received no message from the government but appealed to protestors to remain calm and peaceful. He added that more Marathas were reaching Mumbai ahead of schedule instead of waiting for the next weekend. “If the CM has told the cabinet subcommittee on Maratha reservation to resolve the issue, then why are they not doing it? They just keep holding meetings and nothing comes of it. The ministers are useless, nothing else. I’m here to get reservation from the OBC quota, and until then Marathas will not leave Mumbai. I’m going to get reservation from the OBC quota. Ministers and political leaders are deceiving us. They have ulterior motives. I told them how to give reservations but they have not given anything,” Jarange said. “We will take reservation, and that too from the OBC quota. I’m telling the government to allow Marathas to park their cars in open grounds. They should open Wankhede Stadium for protestors to park cars and rest. Park your cars safely and eat there. Remain peaceful and don’t damage the image of the community. Our demands are constitutional. Laws were made based on British documents and we are making demands based on that. Marathas and Kunbis are the same. There is village-level evidence in the gazetteers in Marathwada,” Jarange-Patil said. Jarange also slammed MNS chief Raj Thackeray. “Devendra Fadnavis got Raj’s son defeated in the assembly polls. Raj Thackeray never came to Marathwada. In the Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis ensured that he was checkmated. He just listens to anyone and gets influenced,” Jarange-Patil said. On Sunday, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, who were in their home districts of Satara and Pune respectively, were expected to come to Mumbai and discuss the strategy to deal with Jarange and his demands with CM Devendra Fadnavis. While Shinde has so far kept away from the protests and the government’s decision-making process, Shiv Sena minister Dada Bhuse said it was Shinde who had given 10% reservation to Marathas. Bhuse added that the kin of those who died during the protests would receive compensation and government jobs, and cases against them would be withdrawn. BJP minister Chandrakant Patil, however, said the current protest was aimed at securing political reservation. On Saturday, DCM Shinde left for his village Dare while DCM Ajit Pawar remained busy with engagements in Pune, leaving CM Fadnavis and the cabinet subcommittee on Maratha reservation to handle Jarange and his supporters. “Ten per cent Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC) and the previous EWS quota had everything, but it did not have political reservation. All the efforts going on now are for political reservation,” Chandrakant Patil said. He added, “Devendra Fadnavis gave 16% reservation to Marathas, but under the MVA government the decision was rejected by the courts. Later when Jarange-Patil protested, Eknath Shinde gave 10% reservation and this was being implemented. People from the Maratha community were recruited in the government. Justice (retd) Shinde committee too has made efforts to resolve this impasse. They visited various places in and outside the state to examine documents. Earlier, people needed 13 documents to get a Kunbi certificate. Now 10 more documents have been added to the list. So thousands of people have benefitted.” On Saturday, the cabinet subcommittee on Maratha reservation held a meeting. Later, a delegation led by Justice (retd) Shinde met Manoj Jarange. However, Jarange Patil told the delegation that he remained firm on his demands. After the delegation returned, subcommittee chairman Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and BJP minister Girish Mahajan went to CM Fadnavis’ Varsha bungalow late at night. The three leaders discussed the issue for about an hour. Jarange is demanding that all Marathas be granted Kunbi (OBC) status. So far, Mumbai Police have extended permission for him to protest till Sunday evening. The state sent Justice (retd) Sandeep Shinde, who heads a state panel on the quota, to talk to Jarange on Saturday, but the latter said he would continue his agitation until the government issues a resolution declaring all Marathas as Kunbis. He also wants Marathas with Kunbi antecedents listed in gazetteers to be granted caste certificates. “The loan amount for small businesses from the community has increased significantly. The government is taking positive decisions and the community is aware. The CM has information about who is providing resources to the agitators and protestors, so the CM will take a decision about them,” Bhuse said.