Issue GR on demands or will march to Mumbai: Manoj Jarange Patil’s new ultimatum

Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil demanded that the issuance of Kunbi certificates should begin immediately

As Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s indefinite hunger strike entered its sixth day, his supporters on Thursday blocked major state and national highways and imposed a shutdown in at least three districts in the Marathwada region to ramp up pressure on the Maharashtra government.

Jarange Patil, who met two delegations of the state government, said the authorities should issue a Government Resolution (GR) accepting all his demands before he ends his strike. He also demanded that the issuance of Kunbi certificates should begin immediately and gave the government two days to implement his demands.

“We are open to talks, but the strike will not be called off until the GR is issued in this regard. The government can take two days, but after that we will start marching towards Mumbai, where the protest will be held on a large scale,” he said.

BJP leader and legislator Prasad Lad, who met Jarange at Antarwali Sarati on Wednesday night, said the process of issuing Kunbi certificates would begin from Thursday. He said a delegation of the ministers concerned would soon visit Antarwali Sarati with the GR.

The Maratha community observed a bandh in three districts, Beed, Latur and Dharashiv, on Thursday.

His supporters in the Marathwada region, including Parbhani, Latur and Hingoli, have started marching towards Antarwali Sarati. There was a rasta roko on the Jalna-Hingoli highway and other highways on Thursday morning, a Jarange supporter said.

Surendra P. Gangan is an Associate Editor with the Mumbai Edition of the Hindustan Times, covering politics, social and economic issues, and Maharashtra affairs. With more than three decades of experience in journalism, he has reported extensively on Maharashtra’s political landscape, its evolving power equations and the issues that shape public life in the state. A firm believer in the value of ground reporting, he enjoyes pursuing stories that generate conversation and make an impact beyond the newsroom. Outside journalism, he was university-level cricketer during his college days and remains an amateur swimmer and an enthusiastic trekker.Read More