Maratha Quota Row — 'Shinde-Fadnavis Govt Will Fall If...': Manoj Jarange's Fresh Ultimatum To Maha Govt
Maratha Quota Stir: Activist Manoj Jarange Patil has given the government a fresh deadline to accept his demand.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has suspended his hunger strike but has given the government a fresh ultimatum to accept his demands. He said that he suspended his fast and had saline drip administered to him due to the demands of his followers. "There is no point in continuing a hunger strike after a saline drip. However, the government must accept our demands by August 13, failing which we shall take stern action," Manoj Jarange said. His latest hunger strike began on Saturday, July 20.
He had earlier said that if his demands were not met, he would resort to political action by contesting the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Manoj Jarange said that the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government will fall if his demands are not acceded to. "Not a single BJP MLA will win. We shall decide whether to support the BJP-led government [in the elections] or go against it on August 28," he said.
What Is Manoj Jarange Demanding?
The Maharashtra government passed the Maratha Reservation Bill earlier this year. The Bill proposed to grant 10% reservation to the Maratha community in education institutions and government jobs. But Manoj Jarange sought to add 'sage soyare' in its notification to recognise all Marathas as Kunbis in the list of beneficiaries under the OBC quota.
Jarange had earlier said that if his demands were not met by July 13, he would launch a political campaign against the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. If Jarange fields candidates in the 288 seats, the BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena coalition could be hurt, especially in the Marathwada region where the ruling alliance fared poorly in the Lok Sabha elections.
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