THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Mumbai, Jan 27: Following his meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Navi Mumbai, activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who had begun an indefinite hunger strike the previous day over the Maratha quota issue, called off the indefinite hunger strike on Saturday.
CM Shinde visited Jarange at Vashi, where he and thousands of his supporters had set up camp since Friday morning.
After sipping a glass of juice that the chief minister offered, Jarange broke his unbroken fast. At Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, the 40-year-old activist had originally intended to commence a hunger strike starting on Friday.
Nonetheless, he and government representatives met multiple times in Vashi on Friday to talk about his demands. The administration dispatched a delegation late at night with a draft ordinance addressing the demands.
Kunbi recognition to Maratha relatives
Jarange declared early on Saturday morning that the administration had agreed to all of his demands, and he was ending his protest.
Along with this, the government announced that all blood relatives of Maratha community members whose Kunbi caste records had been located would be recognised as Kunbis.
The Kunbi community, primarily engaged in agriculture, is categorized under Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Jarange has been advocating for the issuance of Kunbi certificates to all individuals belonging to the Maratha community.
Jarange renewed her demand on Friday, asking the government to modify its free education program to cover all Marathas till the community as a whole can benefit from reservations.
