By Sidhima Choudhary
Manoj Jarange, a 43-year-old activist, held a hunger strike on Friday with thousands of Maratha protestors in Azad Maidan, Mumbai. The protesters rose amidst the demand for a 10 per cent quota reserved for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
The protest was accompanied by hundreds of vehicles, starting from Jarange’s village in Jalna district on Wednesday. As he entered Mumbai, he was further welcomed in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, by thousands of his supporters. Amidst the protest, Jarange declares he will not back down until the state grants the Maratha community their rightful reservation.
The protestors demand the Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis to be included in the OBC category. Kunbi (an agrarian caste), traditionally referred to the peasant and farming community of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. By doing this, the Kunbis will be eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.
Jarange further mentioned that the state did not act on the matter before and hence this time the supporters had to come to Mumbai with full preparedness. They have ensured their stay arrangements by carrying bed, clothes and kitchen items to cook food.
“I am ready to sacrifice my life and will not leave Mumbai without justice. They can either shoot me or put me in jail but I won’t leave Mumbai until our demands are heard and met,” said Jarange during the protest.
The Jalna police imposed 40 conditions on Jarange and his supporters before proceeding with their march to the financial capital. The conditions directed them to follow the law and order, not cause disruptions of vehicle movement and avoid ‘objectionable’ slogans.
Whereas, Mumbai police allowed the Jarange to hold a peaceful protest on August 29 from 9 AM to 6 PM, specifying the number of protestors cannot exceed beyond 5000. The officials said, “Around 1500 Mumbai police personnel were deployed at Azad Maidan to ensure the protest runs smoothly.”
Various ministers released their statement regarding the protest where Maharashtra Congress President, Harshvardhan Sapkal asked the state government to meet the Maratha community’s demands. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Uddhav Thackeray said, “The government must act immediately after holding a talk with Jarange and giving justice to the Maratha community.”