A day after Manoj Jarange Patil declared his intent to intensify the agitation for a quota for Marathas from the other backward class (OBC) quota instead of an independent share of 10 per cent that was given through a new law on Tuesday, the protest started showing cracks. Another activist, Ajay Maharaj Baraskar, accused Jarange of misleading the Marathas by lying and becoming a pawn in the hands of the powerful.

On Wednesday, Jarange appealed to the community to strike the government hard if a decision to give the blood relatives of eligible Marathas a Kunbi certificate was not taken by February 23. He asked that roads be blocked so exam-going students were not inconvenienced; an indefinite hunger strike by the elders, and banning politicians from entering their homes ahead of the polls.