Jarange insists on the bustle around the quotas in Mumbai despite the government’s attempt to dissuade it

Despite the attempts of the government of Maharashtra to dissuade him, activist Manoj Jarange said on Tuesday August 26 that he would begin a new hunger strike in the Maratha reserve in Mumbai from August 29.

On the eve of Ganesh’s feast, Rajendra Sand Patil, special officer of the office of the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, met Jarange in his village, Antarwali Sarathi, in the District of Jalna, in an attempt to reconcile him, but the latter refused to move.

While the High Court of Bombay said that the activist could not demonstrate without prior authorization, Jarange said that his lawyers would address the court to obtain the necessary repairs. He and his supporters will leave for Mumbai on August 27, he said.

He also criticized the chief minister Fadnavis, accusing him of having hampered the quota of the Maratha community in education and government jobs.

“Our team of lawyers will go to court … I believe that the court will listen to us and allow us to organize the bustle in Azad Maidan in Mumbai. We will obey all the directives of the court,” said Jarange.

Jarange demands that all Marathes be recognized as Kunbis – an agrarian caste included in the OBC category – which will make them eligible for reservations.

He had discussions with Patil in the presence of journalists.

“We waited two years. Suresh Dhas, MP for the BJP, had visited me during my previous hunger strike and had asked for three months to make a decision. If the government grants a reservation (OBC) to the Marathes, we will become friends with Devendra Fadnavis,” said Jarange.

“We will not go to Mumbai if we get the reservation, otherwise we will leave. We will go to Mumbai and the demonstration will be peaceful,” he added.

The demonstrators will not disturb the celebrations of the Ganesh festival in the state capital, he said, calling on the government to provide them with a dedicated route to reach Azad Maidan, in the south of Mumbai, a popular protest site.

Jarange asked Patil to inform the government led by the BJP that the Marathes would not be satisfied with less than a quota of 10 % in the OBC category by the evening.

Later, speaking to journalists, he targeted CM Fadnavis, accusing him of having created obstacles to the granting of reserves to the Marathes.

Such authority was not observed even during the British period, said Jarange. “Agitation also took place in British times … The government should not test the patience of the Maratha community. No matter the obstacles drawn up by the government, we will go to Mumbai tomorrow,” he said, adding that the agitation will be peaceful.

“We have confidence in the court. We go peacefully and we act legally. Therefore, the court will do us justice. We will not disobey any rule or directive of the court. But the court cannot ask us not to be agitated,” he said.

In response to a public interest dispute deposited by the AMY Foundation opposing the proposed agitation, the court composed of the chief judge Alok Aradhe and judge Sandeep Marne in Mumbai said that even if democracy and dissent go hand in hand, the demonstrations should only take place in designated places after obtaining authorization.

Jarange and his partners can submit an authorization request to the authorities, said the High Court, adding that the government can also offer him another accommodation in Khargar, in the neighboring city of Navi Mumbai, “so that the pace of life in the city of Mumbai is not hampered”. The court noted that the police of the state capital would be extremely occupied during the Ganesh feast.

Advocate General Birendra Saraf said that the police are carrying the heavy responsibility to maintain public order during the festival, and that a large gathering would put the police apparatus.

The HC sent an opinion to Jarange, requesting his answer, and posted the case for a new hearing on September 9.

Speaking on Monday, CM Fadnavis said that he hoped that those who said they were real disciples of (King Maratha) Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will do nothing to disrupt Ganesh Chaturthi, “who is the biggest Hindu festival”.