Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange intensified his indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, now in its third day, vowing not to leave the city until the Maharashtra government grants a 10% reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Jarange, a 43-year-old activist, emphasized that his demand for Marathas to be recognized as Kunbis—an agrarian caste already included in the OBC category—is constitutionally valid, citing government records identifying 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis.

The protest has drawn thousands of supporters, significantly impacting traffic around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and nearby junctions. Mumbai Traffic Police issued an advisory on X, urging motorists to avoid affected routes and use alternate paths. Jarange appealed to his supporters to park vehicles at designated locations in Vashi, Chembur, Sewri, and Masjid Bunder and travel to Azad Maidan by train, ensuring orderly participation. He also directed that food from supply trucks be distributed to protesters at these parking sites and cautioned against paying for umbrellas or raincoats distributed at the protest.

Jarange expressed frustration with the state government’s inaction, announcing plans to escalate his hunger strike by stopping water intake from Monday if demands remain unmet. “We will secure Maratha reservation under the OBC category no matter what,” he asserted, urging the government not to dismiss the protesters as a mere “crowd” but to recognize their genuine grievances.

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The agitation has reignited political debates. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s handling of the issue, noting that Shinde had previously resolved a similar Maratha quota protest in January 2024 by halting Jarange’s march at Vashi. Jarange, responding to Thackeray’s remarks, praised both Raj and Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray but criticized Raj for being easily swayed, alleging that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had influenced electoral outcomes against Thackeray’s son, Amit, in the 2024 state assembly polls.

The state government, led by the BJP, dispatched a delegation headed by retired High Court judge Sandeep Shinde to negotiate with Jarange on Saturday. Shinde chairs a committee tasked with scrutinizing Kunbi records of the Maratha community. However, Jarange dismissed the delegation’s efforts, stating that issuing a Government Resolution (GR) for Maratha reservation is beyond Shinde’s mandate. He demanded that the committee, which has studied relevant gazettes for 13 months, submit its report to facilitate Kunbi status for Marathas, particularly citing the Hyderabad and Satara gazettes as legal bases for the reservation.

Chief Minister Fadnavis has maintained that the government is seeking a solution within constitutional and legal frameworks. Meanwhile, Jarange, who has undertaken hunger strikes seven times previously, declared this protest as the Maratha community’s “final fight” for reservation. With thousands of supporters converging in Mumbai, the agitation continues to challenge the state’s administrative and political resolve.

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