Jalna, Sep 3 (IANS) Manoj Jarange Patil, who is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, on Wednesday finally agreed to drink water and get an IV saline drip following an emotional appeal by BJP legislator Prasad Lad.
However, maintaining the intensity of the protest, Jarange Patil stated, “I am drinking water and accepting the IV saline, but I will not call off the hunger strike until our demands are fulfilled.”
During his address, he launched a scathing attack on the ruling leaders, making serious allegations that the issue of Maratha reservation has become trapped in a credit war between the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Ministers.
Speaking about legislator Prasad Lad, who came to meet him at Antarwali Sarati, Jarange Patil said, “Our Lad Saheb has arrived. There is no point in blaming him; he genuinely cares from his heart for the children of our community.”
In front of legislator Prasad Lad, Jarange Patil remarked that the Maratha reservation issue is stuck in credit-seeking, with a battle ongoing over whether DCM Eknath Shinde or CM Devendra Fadnavis should take credit. Furthermore, he launched a sharp critique referencing Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who was mediating.
Jarange Patil stated that they trusted Minister Vikhe Patil, but he was playing games with them (“our school is being taken”). He raised the question of why Minister Vikhe Patil was not coming for discussions and alleged that Minister Vikhe Patil was working to instigate conflicts between DCM Shinde and CM Fadnavis.
Expressing his severe physical exhaustion, Jarange Patil said, “If I speak for too long, my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.” At legislator Lad’s insistence, he drank a sip of water and agreed to medical treatment. However, he warned that until an official Government Resolution (GR) is handed over and a final decision is reached, he will not withdraw the hunger strike from Antarwali Sarati.
Interacting with journalists and the crowd, Jarange Patil laid down explicit conditions for the government. “The certificates that ministers Sanjay Shirsat and Chandrashekhar Bawankule cancelled, I will retrieve them at any cost. I will not end the fast without them,” he asserted.
Representing the Maharashtra State Government, legislator Prasad Lad gave a major assurance to quota activist Jarange Patil, promising that all demands of the Maratha community will be fulfilled before Marathwada Liberation Day on September 17, and all OBC concessions will be extended to Marathas. Lad also announced that the distribution of Kunbi certificates under the Hyderabad Gazette will commence starting tomorrow, September 3.
Seeking an end to the fast, legislator Lad appealed to Jarange to call off his protest, offering to bring a cabinet delegation of ministers to Antarwali Sarati the following day. During the meeting, legislator Lad conveyed positive assurances on behalf of the government regarding various long-pending demands of the Maratha community, giving his word that all issues would be resolved prior to Marathwada Liberation Day.
Legislator Lad reiterated that the official process of issuing Kunbi caste certificates based on the Hyderabad Gazette will begin tomorrow (September 3) at 12:00 PM.
Regarding the four students whose Kunbi certificates were revoked, immediate instructions have been issued to the concerned administrative officials to ensure justice is served. Of the total 1,376 legal cases filed during the Maratha reservation agitation, a majority have already been withdrawn. Legal and technical evaluations are underway to drop the remaining charges. In accordance with decisions made in last week’s meeting, a dedicated 1,250-square-foot office space is being provided for the Maratha Reservation Committee, said legislator Lad.
Marathas previously relied solely on the Social Justice Department for redressal. Moving forward, direct coordination with the Mantralaya (State Secretariat) will be established to expedite all issues. Justice Shinde Committee, tasked with tracing genealogical records and caste verification, will receive a one-year extension along with a 3,000-square-foot facility in Mumbai for its operations. All educational and financial concessions currently granted to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category will be extended to the Maratha community, assured legislator Lad.
No Maratha student’s academic admission will be cancelled pending the final decision on reservation. Additionally, the state government will bear their full tuition fees. The remaining funding allocation of Rs 300 crore for the Annasaheb Patil Economic Backward Development Corporation is being released immediately, with an assurance of no future financial shortfalls for the body, said legislator Lad.
–IANS
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