Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange ends hunger strike with a glass of juice from CM Shinde

Manoj Jarange ended his fast by consuming orange juice/ Screengrab/ANI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Saturday in Navi Mumbai's Vashi where he and thousands of protestors were camping seeking reservations for the community. Jarange, who had begun his fast on Friday, was fed a glass of juice by CM Shinde as a mark of him ending his hunger strike.

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Jarange had stopped at the outskirts of Mumbai on Friday and presented new demands. The government engaged in talks with him late last night.

Both--CM Shinde and Jarange--paid homage to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at the campsite before the latter ended his fast. The excitement among the protestors was palpable who cheered on Jarange and CM Shinde for agreeing to their demands, stated reports. The protestors dubbed it as a historic moment.

Maharashtra Ministers Deepak Kesarkar, Mangal Prabhat Lodha and other members of the new delegation constituted by the state were also present at Vashi.

The state government released a draft ordinance on Friday night addressing the reservation demands of the Maratha community. The officials visited Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange at the campsite in response to his demand for the ordinance.

Jarange on January 26 stopped when he was just shy of entering Mumbai presenting a new demand. He warned they will proceed with the planned protest at Azad Maidan if the government does not relent to his demands and warned that he won't back off if he begins his journey to South Mumbai ground.

He, according to the PTI report, called for an amendment to the government's free education policy, ensuring all Marathas benefit from it until reservation is extended to the entire community.

Jarange sought data on the 37 lakh Kunbi certificates issued by the state government. Kunbi, an agrarian community under Other Backward Classes (OBC), has been a focal point of Jarange's demand for Kunbi certificates for all Marathas, the report added.

The activist gained prominence in September 2023 when police used force to disperse his indefinite fast gathering in Antarwali Sarati village, Jalna district. He initiated another fast, prompting the government to engage in talks with him.

While the Maharashtra government had previously enacted a law providing reservation in government jobs and educational admissions for the politically and numerically dominant Maratha community, the Supreme Court struck it down in 2021.