'Ready to die': Activist hardens stance on Maratha quota

Mumbai: The Maratha reservation issue compounded further on Tuesday night with no immediate solution in sight, as Manoj Jarange Patil, the face of the campaign, hardened his stance.

The Centre is constantly monitoring the situation in the state, where law and order is emerging as a major concern. 

As a precautionary measure, the internet services in parts of Jalna have been cut off, a development that has sparked criticism on social media platforms.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached out to Patil over the phone and held discussions for around 30 minutes. However, the activist refused to relent.

“You have time till tonight and tomorrow... after that, I will stop taking water. Whatever happens will be the responsibility of the government,” Patil told reporters at Antarwali Sarathi village on Tuesday evening.

“We do not want half reservation…we want a full reservation that stands the scrutiny of the court. For this, call a special session of the Maharashtra legislature, and it is time you do the needful… I am ready to die fighting for the cause,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Shrimant Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, the descendent of legendary Maratha warrior and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformer Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, met Patil and offered him water, which he accepted. “Respecting Raje saheb, I am accepting water. But for two days, if the reservation does not happen, I will stop taking water,” he said.

In a related development, the state government, in the weekly Cabinet meeting, accepted the first report of a committee, headed by Justice Sandeep Shinde (Retd), appointed to decide the procedure for granting Kunbi caste certificates to the Marathas in the Marathwada region.

The Kunbi community, a sub-caste of Marathas, would be eligible for reservation in the OBC category.

The meeting also okayed the appointment a three-member panel of Justice Dilip Bhosale (Retd), Justice M G Gaikwad (Retd) and Justice Sandeep Shinde (Retd), who have adequate knowledge of the issue, to advise the government when the curative petition comes up for hearing in the Supreme Court.