Maratha Quota Activist Jarange Hospitalised In Beed After Feeling Uneasy During Rally

Manoj Jarange Patil has been admitted to the hospital in Beed district a day after he felt uneasy during a public rally.

Manoj Jarange Patil has been admitted to the hospital in Beed district a day after he felt uneasy during a public rally. ( Image Source :X/@JarangeManoj )

Shivba Sanghatana President and Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, a prominent figure in the Maratha agitation, has been admitted to the hospital in Beed district. This comes after he felt uneasy during a public rally in Dharashiv on Monday afternoon and was forced to discontinue his speech midway. Jarange-Patil was speaking at a massive public meeting at Makni-Karajgaon when he suddenly felt weak and then sat down on the stage.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Manoj Jarange Patil, a prominent figure in the Maratha agitation has been admitted to the hospital in Beed district. pic.twitter.com/O6IPVjX0UH

— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2023

As some aides rushed to help him, he continued speaking feebly for a few minutes, after which he gave up and then was taken away from the stage, as reported by news agency IANS. A medico was summoned to examine him and said he had certain diabetes problems, was given some medicines, and has been advised to take it easy for a couple of days.

An aide, however, said that Jarange Patil, currently on a tour of some districts to gather support for the Maratha reservation, has reportedly decided against taking medical advice to take rest and will continue his schedules as planned, as reported by IANS.

Jarange-Patil has given an ultimatum of December 24 to the Maharashtra government to announce the Maratha quotas by including them in the OBC Kunbi Caste category, failing which he would lay a siege on Mumbai.

Last month, Jarange claimed that the Maratha leaders earlier were not in support of the quota for the community, and there was also pressure from OBC leaders on the government for 30–40 years to not give reservations to Marathas.

"If we are not given a reservation by December 24, we will disclose the names of these leaders," Jarange told reporters at a private hospital in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he was undergoing treatment after ending his fast for the quota demand, as quoted by news agency PTI.

In view of the protests led by Jarange, the state government has expanded the scope of the Justice Sandip Shinde (retd) Committee formed to study the feasibility of giving Kunbi certificates to the Maratha community members. Among the demands of Jarange is that Marathas be given Kunbi certificates so that they can get reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.