Maratha quota: Jarange Patil to march on Mumbai, gives govt eight-day deadline
Manoj Jarange Patil says he will head to Mumbai on September 15 and begin a hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 19
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, on the sixteenth day of his hunger strike, launched a sharp attack on the government. He said he would rather die in Mumbai than bow before the government. He also repeated his earlier announcement that he would leave Antarwali Sarati for Mumbai on September 15 and begin a hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 19.
Jarange directly accused Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and also targeted Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis. He alleged that investigations had been launched against his close associates in the middle of the agitation and questioned why this was being done. He also targeted revenue department officials, saying they were working even on the Saturday-Sunday holiday, which he said was happening under political pressure.
Jarange demanded that the government resolve issues linked to the Hyderabad Gazette, the Satara and Kolhapur gazettes, the Kunbi register and caste certificates, and also accept the demands of MPSC, EWS and SBC students. He said the government still had eight days, speaking as a Maratha leader himself.
Asked about the investigations, Jarange said he would not surrender out of fear of any probe. He said he would give up his life at the site of the agitation but would not bow before the government. He levelled serious allegations against the Shinde-Fadnavis government, claiming a conspiracy was being hatched to open fire on him during the agitation in Mumbai, though he did not present concrete evidence to support the claim. He grew emotional while saying this and appealed to the Maratha community to remain united whatever happened to him.
Jarange was also combative on the denial of permission for the hunger strike at Azad Maidan. He said the permission had been refused out of malice, and that the agitation would remain within the bounds of the Constitution. He also warned that if the government forced a stop to water and medical treatment, he would refuse to take treatment.
