Maratha quota activist Jarange to start indefinite hunger strike from Jan 20; CM urges restraint

Beed/Mumbai, Dec 24 (PTI) Quota activist Manoj Jarange has announced that he will start an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from January 20 to intensify his demand of reservation for the Maratha community.

However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has urged people to exercise restraint and said the Supreme Court has accepted the curative petition filed by the state government on the Maratha reservation issue and scheduled a hearing on January 24.

This has opened a "window of hope' for the community, the CM said in a video message.

Jarange had given the state government time till December 24 to fulfil his demand of reservation for the Maratha community.

Addressing a massive rally in Beed district of Marathwada region on Saturday, Jarange said, "I will start an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai from January 20. It is difficult to suppress the Marathas. We will not return without getting reservation for the community." He claimed "crores" of people from the Maratha community will come to Mumbai on January 20.

The quota activist said he will leave his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on foot and reach Mumbai and members from the community will also join him.

Meanwhile, in a video message, CM Shinde said the state government's legal team comprising a battery of efficient lawyers will present its view before the Supreme Court and make all efforts to prove that the Maratha community is socially and economically backward.

The State Backward Class Commission has been gathering empirical data on a "large scale" on the Maratha community and its plight, he said.

The CM asserted his government is committed to giving reservation to the Maratha community and urged people to observe restraint.

He also said that quota benefits of other groups will remain untouched while giving reservation to the Marathas.

Shinde said the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government had given reservation to the Maratha community, which was upheld by the Bombay High Court.

However, the Supreme Court struck it down as the Maha Vikas Aghadi government (led by Uddhav Thackeray) failed to prove its point before the court.

"The observations of the Supreme Court (while striking down the reservation) will be taken into cognisance while gathering empirical data about the Maratha community. This will help in presenting the case before the Supreme Court," the CM said. PTI