Maratha quota: Around ten lakh vehicles will head for Mumbai on January 20, says Manoj Jarange

Manoj Jarange. File Pic

Around ten lakh vehicles carrying the materials needed for the agitators will head for Mumbai on January 20, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.

Manoj Jarange has announced that he would launch another hunger strike, his third, to press the demand of reservation for the Maratha community in Mumbai from January 20.

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"Some ten lakh vehicles will head for Mumbai, carrying things that we will need. People from nearby districts will come to Antarwali Sarati (his village in Jalna district) and we will start walking towards Mumbai," he told a news channel while talking about preparations for the new round of the agitation, according to the PTI.

"The Maratha community will go (to Mumbai) in groups. Each group will have 30 to 40 thousand people," he added, as per the PTI.

Meanwhile, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange had earlier declared an indefinite hunger strike.

According to the report, Jarange shall be beginning his strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on January 20.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on the other hand had urged prudence, citing the Supreme Court's acceptance of the state government's curative plea on the Maratha reservation issue. A hearing has been scheduled for January 24, with Shinde proposing a "window of hope" for the community in a video message.

Jarange announced his hunger strike plans to a large crowd in Marathwada's Beed district, emphasising the Maratha community's resolve; he said, "I will start an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai from January 20. It is difficult to suppress the Marathas. We will not return without getting a reservation for the community."

He expects a large turnout from the Maratha community in Mumbai on January 20 and says he will walk from his Antarwali Sarati hamlet in Jalna district, with community members accompanying him, the PTI report stated.

According to the report, CM Shinde, in a video message, said that the government's legal team, comprised of experienced lawyers, will submit the state's case before the Supreme Court, emphasising the Maratha community's social and economic backwardness. He emphasised the State Backward Class Commission's substantial data-gathering efforts on the predicament of the Maratha community.

Shinde advised people to remain calm while reaffirming the government's commitment to providing reservations to the Maratha community. He underlined that while the Marathas' reservation is pursued, other groups' quota privileges will be preserved. Shinde praised the previous government's efforts to provide Maratha reservation, which were affirmed by the Bombay High Court but later overturned by the Supreme Court due to insufficient validation by the present Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray, the report added.

(with PTI inputs)