Jalna: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday announced that he and his supporters would launch an indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from September 19, demanding reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. The announcement came as Jarange’s protest at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna entered its 15th day. He said the march towards Mumbai would begin on September 15, with protesters following a planned route through several districts before reaching the state capital. According to Jarange, the protesters will halt at Patoda in Beed on September 15, Srigonda in Ahilyanagar on September 16, Hadapsar in Pune on September 17 and Khopoli in Raigad on September 18. They will then stay at Khoparkhairane in Navi Mumbai before proceeding towards Mumbai. Jarange said the protesters would cover nearly 100 kilometres each day and reach Azad Maidan, where the indefinite hunger strike is scheduled to begin at 10 am on September 19. The protest will take place during the Ganpati festival, which is being celebrated across Maharashtra from September 14 to 25. Appealing for a peaceful agitation, Jarange urged supporters not to engage in stone-pelting, arson or any form of violence. “We have to continue the agitation peacefully until we return from Mumbai with reservation for our community. No one should resort to stone-pelting or arson. Vehicles should be driven properly and everyone should follow the code of conduct. We want to protest through democratic means and secure our rightful demand,” he said.

Jarange also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to obstruct the protesters. He said that if police barricades were placed along their route, demonstrators should remain peaceful, sit on the road if necessary, and look for alternative routes rather than damaging the barricades. He further said that if protesters were stopped, the responsibility for any resulting situation would lie with the chief minister. Accusing the state government of failing to act on demands linked to gazette records and the issuance of caste certificates based on 58 lakh Kunbi records, Jarange said the issue would now be taken to Mumbai. “This is the final fight and not a single Maratha should remain at home,” he said, urging members of the community to join the agitation. Jarange also appealed to women planning to participate in the protest to join after the Mahalaxmi festival. He suggested that they make peaceful visits to the residences of Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Chief Minister Fadnavis, and Lata Shinde, wife of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and organise traditional ‘haldi-kumkum’ programmes to highlight their demand for reservation.

Jarange had staged a hunger strike in Mumbai in August-September last year, with the agitation bringing several parts of the city, including areas around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, to a standstill. Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court on Friday declined to issue an urgent order seeking to stop Jarange’s proposed protest in Mumbai. The court observed that citizens have a right to protest and said a restraining order could not be issued merely on the apprehension of possible law-and-order problems. One of Jarange’s key demands is for the Maharashtra government to issue a Government Resolution allowing Marathas to claim reservation available to the Kunbi community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, based on historical records and gazette documents. OBC organisations, however, have strongly opposed the demand, arguing that extending the Kunbi quota to Marathas could affect the benefits available to existing OBC communities.