Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil threatens hunger strike if reservation demand unmet by June 4

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has issued a warning that he will go on hunger strike on June 4 if the Maharashtra government does not solve the Maratha quota problem. "If the Maratha quota issue is not resolved in the coming months, I will once again go on a hunger strike on June 4," he said per the ANI report.

The news agency report, Patil accused the Maharashtra administration, led by Eknath Shinde, of misleading the Maratha community. He also attacked the Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition alliance for failing to take action on the Maratha quota issue during their mandate.

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"We have been misled by the state government. Mahayuti has not given us Maratha reservation...When Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power, they did nothing for the Maratha reservation," he was further quoted as saying in the ANI report.

The report further added that last month, the Maharashtra government had established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate claims of conspiracy and violence related to the Maratha agitation in the state.

The SIT was constituted on the directions of Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar after BJP MLAs raised the issue of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis receiving threats.

In February, the state government adopted a bill to award Marathas 10 per cent reservation based on the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission's recommendations. However, Patil insisted on reservation under the OBC category.

Patil's push for the Maratha quota has been accused of obtaining financial help from political figures. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of unrest as a result of his agitation, causing the government to launch a thorough SIT investigation into the situation.

Last month, Manoj Jarange Patil voiced fear about a possible arrest, implying that he is viewed as an obstacle to the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) electoral objectives.

Another PTI report quoted Jarage Patil saying that he had received information on the completion of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report, which indicated the likelihood of arrest. He connected this threat to his rejection of the Maharashtra assembly's proposal to give the Maratha community a 10 per cent reservation.