Maratha Reservation: Manoj Jarange Patil calls off quota stir

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra): Maratha reservation activists celebrated after Manoj Jarange Patil announced that he was calling off protests as the Maharashtra government had accepted their demands.

Patil will break his fast today in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

He will pay floral tribute to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, after which he will address the gathering.

Stating that the Maharashtra government has accepted their request, Patil who started his hunger strike on Friday, said the protest was over now.

"Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has done a good job. Our protest is now over. Our request has been accepted. We will accept the letter from him. I will drink juice at the hands of the Chief Minister," Patil said this while addressing a press conference on Friday night.

Referring to the demands of giving Kunbi certificates to all 54 lakh people whose data has been found till now, Patil said that they will be given the certificates soon.

"54 lakh entries were found for our fight. They will be given the certificate soon," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Patil warned the state government that if their demands were not met, then protestors would march towards Mumbai on Saturday morning. He also urged the Maharashtra government to withdraw all the cases registered by the police regarding the demand for Maratha reservations in the state.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said that the ordinance that was passed has the solution to all the problems, so there is no need to continue the protests.

On May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court struck down reservations for the Maratha community in colleges, higher educational institutions, and jobs after noting that there was no valid ground to breach a 50% reservation while granting a Maratha reservation.

(ANI)