DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇳 India /Elections & Politics

Jarange hardens stance, refuses water and medical treatment as quota hunger strike enters eighth day

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Manoj Jarange’s hunger strike for Maratha reservation entered its eighth day as he refused water, intravenous fluids and medical treatment.
  • Jarange said Maharashtra’s government had not begun work on records covering about 5.8 million Marathas, the Hyderabad Gazette process or promised public announcements.
  • He said he would continue the protest and travel to Mumbai on Sept. 12 unless the demands are implemented, including a government resolution on Kunbi certificates.

Manoj Jarange has withdrawn his earlier consent to drink water and receive intravenous fluids, hardening his hunger strike for Maratha quota as it entered its eighth day.

At the protest site in Antarwali Sarati, Jarange refused a medical examination despite efforts by a medical team to persuade him. “Until the government implements all our demands on the ground, I will not take anything and will not undergo any treatment,” he told reporters.

Jarange said the Mahayuti government had failed to act on assurances given by a delegation earlier in the week. The government had promised to begin work on records concerning around 58 lakh Marathas, which would support the community’s claim to quotas in jobs and educational institutions. Jarange said that work had not started.

He also alleged that the process linked to the Hyderabad Gazette had not begun. A promise to communicate information about the reservation issue to villagers through public announcements had likewise not been carried out, he said. The government delegation had said it would communicate a decision on his demands within one or two days.

Jarange has insisted that he will not end the agitation until the demands are implemented. He has reiterated his intention to proceed to Mumbai on Sept. 12 if they are not addressed and has demanded a government resolution by that date on issuing Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas. Those certificates would allow members of the community to seek quota benefits under the Other Backward Classes category.

Ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Uday Samant, MLC Prasad Lad and MLA Makarand Patil met Jarange on Thursday and urged him to end the fast because of his deteriorating health. Vikhe Patil said the government had traced around 58 lakh Kunbi records and would speed up the issuance of certificates.

Until the government implements all our demands on the ground, I will not take anything and will not undergo any treatment.

· Manoj JarangeThe activist explained why he refused water and medical care during the protest.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog