The ongoing Maratha reservation agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil entered its third day at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on August 31, with police authorities granting him permission to extend his hunger strike by another day. Patil, who has refused to drink water until his demands are met, is pressing for 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, a demand that has put the Mahayuti government under increasing political pressure.
Will not leave protest site: Manoj Jarange
Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange Patil on Sunday declared that he would not leave the protest site at Azad Maidan until the government accepted his demands, asserting that “even bullets from the Fadnavis government won’t deter us.” Addressing supporters, Jarange accused the Maharashtra government of employing “time-wasting tactics” on the reservation issue and insisted that the administration must immediately issue a Government Resolution (GR) granting Marathas quota under the OBC category based on available records. Firm in his stance, he reiterated that “nobody can stop Marathas from getting reservations,” while simultaneously urging his followers to maintain peace during the agitation and not indulge in any hooliganism.Government response: Talks on 'war footing'
A 10-member ministerial committee, led by Maharashtra Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, has been formed to hold discussions with stakeholders. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar assured that the state is working on a “war footing” to resolve the issue, though he took a veiled swipe at critics.
“Those who are speaking now have themselves been in government for a long time. All of them are respected and experienced leaders, but please don’t force us to get into these things,” Ajit Pawar told reporters in Pune.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde defended the government’s efforts and accused the opposition of politicising the agitation.
Opposition voices: Pawar and Raut step in
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition alliance has extended outright support to Jarange’s protest. Sharad Pawar, chief of the NCP (SP), suggested a constitutional amendment to lift the 50 per cent reservation cap, while
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP, went a step further, targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging him to personally meet the protest leader. “The issue of reservations falls under the Home Ministry. He should leave his ego aside and take responsibility,” Raut said in Mumbai, while also calling on CM Devendra Fadnavis to directly engage with Jarange at Azad Maidan.
Jarange Patil’s core demand
Jarange has insisted that all Marathas should be listed as Kunbis, a sub-caste included in the OBC category, enabling them to benefit from quotas in education and government jobs. Addressing his supporters earlier, Jarange had warned the government, “If the government enters our territory, the Marathas will enter theirs. If you cause us trouble, we will cause you trouble when we go there.”
Bhujbal’s countermove: OBC leaders convene
Adding another dimension to the escalating row, senior NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal, a prominent OBC face, has called a meeting of OBC leaders and organisations in Mumbai tomorrow at 3 pm. The meeting, convened under his Samata Parishad, will deliberate on Jarange’s demand.
Bhujbal firmly opposed the demand to equate Marathas with Kunbis, “The Kalelkar Commission and later the Mandal Commission did not include Marathas as a backward community. Kunbis and Marathas are not the same, and both the High Court and Supreme Court have said this clearly.”
A growing political flashpoint
The Maratha quota agitation, long a simmering issue in Maharashtra politics, is once again at the center of a storm- with Jarange Patil’s strike amplifying pressure on the government, hardening OBC opposition, and creating new political challenges for the ruling coalition ahead of crucial state-level battles.