Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ends hunger strike after talks with state government

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his indefinite hunger strike on Sunday after holding talks with representatives of the Maharashtra government, who offered assurances on several long-pending demands of the Maratha community, ANI reported.

Jarange-Patil launched the hunger strike at 10 am on Saturday in Jalna district, and called it off about 15 hours later after receiving assurances from the Maharashtra government, PTI reported.

The protest ended in the presence of Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the Maratha Reservation Cabinet Sub-Committee, and Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Prasad Lad.

Addressing supporters, Jarange-Patil said the government had agreed to speed up the process of issuing Kunbi caste certificates based on 58 lakh records that had already been identified, ANI reported.

He said these records would be displayed at gram panchayat offices, while the task of issuing caste certificates will be overseen by the divisional commissioner’s office, PTI reported.

Jarange-Patil also gave an ultimatum of one month to the government to withdraw police cases registered against Maratha protesters..

After the activist ended his fast, he was taken to a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for further medical examination and treatment.

Quota demand

The Maratha community’s long-standing demand for reservations in education and government jobs resurfaced in 2023 with protests led by Jarange-Patil. The movement witnessed violence, suicides and the resignations of legislators.

His latest protest was his...

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