Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Manoj Jarange Patil, the local leader from Maharashtra’s Jalna who has been holding protests demanding reservation for all Marathas in the state, said he will decide on withdrawing his hunger strike on Saturday.
Patil’s remark came a day after a delegation, which included representatives of the activist and local political leaders, met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his cabinet colleagues in Mumbai to place his demands. The meeting lasted for two and a half hours.
While speaking to reporters Saturday morning, Patil said, “The delegation which had met the Chief Minister in Mumbai yesterday will meet me today. After the meeting, I will decide whether to withdraw the fast or not”.
Patil has been on a hunger strike since August 29 at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna.
Former minister Arjun Khotkar, an Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena leader who was part of the delegation, said, “The discussions were positive. We will brief Jarange Patil about the discussions that we had on the demands made by him. After this, he will take a decision on withdrawing the fast”.
In Mumbai, CM Shinde had said, “The discussion with the delegation was positive. We are hopeful of finding a solution… We hope the activist will withdraw his fast”.
Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, who was also present at Friday’s meeting, also said, “The discussions were fruitful and we are hopeful that Jarange Patil will withdraw his fast”.
In a bid to end Patil’s hunger strike, the Maharashtra Government Thursday had issued a Government Resolution (GR) to form a committee. The committee has been tasked with setting up a process for providing the Kunbi caste certificates to those from the Maratha community from the Marathwada region.
The government has said it will be provided only to those with Nizam-era revenue or educational documents that recognise them as members of the group associated with agriculture-related occupations. The Kunbi caste certificates will enable the Maratha community to get reservations under the OBC category.
However, the government move had little effect on Patil, who demanded that Kunbi reservation should be given to all Marathas. The activist demanded that the condition of genealogy for getting reservations should be done away with. “The GR should not contain the condition of genealogy as we do not have any such documents,” he had said.
