Maratha Leader Manoj Jarange Patil sits on Indefinite Hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Maratha quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s historic Azad Maidan on the second day, declaring he would not budge until the community’s demands were fulfilled.
Mr. Jarange and his supporters battled mud on the ground due to overnight rains and bemoaned the lack of basic amenities, including a paucity of water in toilets.
Mr. Jarange is demanding that all Marathas be recognised as Kunbis under OBC for job and education reservations.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday (August 29, 2025) said that the State government is positive about resolving the issues of the Marathas, if they are social and financial in nature and not related to political reservation.
Mr. Fadnavis has said the cabinet sub-committee on issues related to the Maratha community was discussing Mr. Jarange’s demands and will find a solution within the constitutional framework.
The 43-year-old activist has warned that he will stop taking water in the next two days, and more Marathas will pour into the city if the government delays its decision on the demand for reservation for the community in education and jobs.
“If you take time to make a decision [on the announcement of reservation], more and more Marathas will come to Mumbai. If the government wants to destroy Marathas, why did it initiate dialogue?” he said on Friday.
He also accused the government of trying to divide the Marathas and OBCs. “We have never said that you should reduce the OBC quota and give it to us. We are asking for what is our right….This is our final fight. I will stop taking water in the next two days if there is a delay,” he said.
Many MPs and legislators of the Opposition parties also met Mr. Jarange at Azad Maidan, and expressed their support.
Meanwhile, the iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus became a hub for supporters as hundreds took shelter there late Friday night to brace themselves for the second day of the stir.
Many protesters at the sprawling railway station, which also serves as the headquarters of Central Railway, accused the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation of not providing washroom facilities and other amenities, including water supply.
Several of them also took shelter in the vehicles they travelled in, which were parked along Mahapalika Marg near the BMC headquarters.
In January this year, Mr. Jarange called off his hunger strike on the sixth day, after BJP MLA Suresh Dhas intervened on behalf of the state government.
It was his seventh such protest since 2023. Mr. Jarange had then announced that if the promised measures were not implemented swiftly, he would lead a major agitation in Mumbai.
Published – August 30, 2025 09:19 am IST
