Fadnavis reiterated that the government had fulfilled most of the Maratha quota activist’s demands and remained open to further discussions.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday appealed to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to reconsider his plan to travel to Mumbai and begin an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan. Fadnavis said holding a protest during the Ganesh festival could inconvenience devotees and was not appropriate. “I believe that holding a protest during Ganeshotsav, thereby causing inconvenience to Ganesh devotees, is not appropriate. I would appeal to those concerned to reconsider their decision,” Fadnavis said. The chief minister was responding to Jarange-Patil’s announcement that he planned to travel to Mumbai with four to five associates to stage the protest. The Mumbai Police have repeatedly denied permission for the demonstration at Azad Maidan, citing public safety concerns during Ganeshotsav, when millions of devotees are expected to take to the city’s streets. Jarange-Patil has been on an indefinite hunger strike in Jalna since August 29 over demands related to Maratha reservation. Responding to the police’s concerns about a large gathering, he said he would travel to Mumbai with only a handful of supporters. “Now I will see who can stop me and who will deny me permission. They refused permission, stating there would be a large gathering. Now, on what grounds will they stop me?” Jarange-Patil said in Jalna, around 400 km from Mumbai.

Later on Monday evening, a third application was submitted seeking permission to hold an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from September 18. In the latest application, Jarange-Patil requested permission for a protest involving between five and 50 people. Fadnavis maintained that the state government had already addressed most of Jarange-Patil’s demands concerning Maratha reservation. He said some issues were currently before the courts and could only be resolved through the judicial process or by following the constitutional procedure. “A few of them are currently before the courts and are at different stages of the judicial process. We have also made it clear that these matters cannot be fulfilled without the consent of the court or by following the appropriate constitutional procedure,” Fadnavis said.

The chief minister also reiterated that the government remained open to dialogue. “I have also said that we are ready to accept everything that falls within the constitutional framework of the state. Anything that goes beyond that framework cannot be accepted,” he added. Last week, state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the Cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, said the government had taken “unprecedented” steps on the issue. These included facilitating Kunbi certificates for eligible Marathas to enable their inclusion in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, implementing reservation benefits and funding welfare schemes. Patil said more than 350,000 Maratha youths had benefited from the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) quota, while a similar number had obtained Kunbi certificates.