Maratha reservation movement leader Manoj Jarange has ended his indefinite fast after talks with representatives of the Maharashtra government. The government representatives had submitted a 12-point proposal to him. Jarange had started an indefinite hunger strike on Saturday morning in his village Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district, opening a front against the government. This was Jarange’s ninth fast in the last three years. He ended his fast late on Saturday night.
On Saturday, Manoj Jarange sat in the scorching sun and maintained pressure on the Maharashtra government. After this, the government representatives presented them a 12-point proposal and appealed to end the strike. The government team was led by minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and BJP MLA Prasad Lad.
Jarange addressed the supporters
Addressing his supporters, Jarange said that the state government has agreed to issue certificates on the basis of 58 lakh already identified Kunbi records. He said that these documents will be displayed in Gram Panchayat offices, while the responsibility of their implementation will be of the Divisional Commissioner’s office. He said that action should be taken against officials who do not issue certificates despite the existence of valid records. He said the government has been asked to issue formal orders and inform all concerned authorities.
Demand for separate ministry for Maratha-Kunbi
He said that the government has also agreed to review the caste validity certificate process after 15 days. He also said that he will continue supporting the demand for a separate ministry for the Maratha and Kunbi communities. Jarange said that the government has assured financial assistance within 15 days to the families of those who lost their lives during the Maratha reservation movement.
Jaranga’s health deteriorated due to strike
Manoj Jarange faced many health problems during his recent fast. A doctor told that he vomited repeatedly and his blood pressure had also reduced. Apart from this, he also got dehydrated due to sitting in the hot sun. Jarange sat on a hunger strike in an open field without any tent. The doctor said that he will be thoroughly examined in a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Jarange was sitting in the open field in the scorching heat
Despite the scorching heat, Jarange started the fast in the open without any shade or tent in Antarwali Sarati village, about 400 kilometers from Mumbai. As soon as the protest started, Vikhe Patil, head of the Maratha Reservation Cabinet Sub-Committee, immediately reached the spot and talked to Jarange and convinced him to end the agitation. He said that the state government is committed to resolving this issue positively.
Jarange had reiterated the demand of issuing Kunbi caste certificate to provide the benefits of OBC reservation to the people of Maratha community, implementing Hyderabad and Satara Gazette records and withdrawal of cases registered against Maratha protesters involved in the reservation movement. He had also demanded the creation of a separate ministry for the Maratha community on the lines of the OBC community.
Fasted before too
Earlier, Manoj Jarange had led a massive protest at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from August 29 last year. The strike was called off on September 2 after two major demands were agreed upon with the Maharashtra government. He came into limelight for the first time during his indefinite hunger strike in Antarwali Sarati on the issue of reservation. The violent action of the police during an attempt to hospitalize him brought him into the limelight as the face of the Maratha reservation movement.
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