12 June,2024 01:40 PM IST | Jalna | mid-day online correspondent
Manoj Jarange/ PTI
Activist Manoj Jarange, whose indefinite fast over the Maratha reservation issue entered its fifth day on Wednesday, began receiving IV fluids after a Maharashtra minister guaranteed him that the matter would be handled.
Jarange's newest protest began on Saturday in his home hamlet of Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district. Despite his deteriorating condition, he initially refused IV fluids. However, he threatened to quit taking them if the government did not act quickly, reported PTI.
Per the PTI report, Sandipan Bhumre, the newly elected Shiv Sena MP from Aurangabad, visited Jarange on Tuesday to express his support and address his demands.
Jarange has advocated for the execution of a draft notification recognising Kunbis as "sage soyare" (blood relatives) of Marathas, as well as legislation identifying Kunbis as Marathas. Kunbis, an agrarian group, are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC).
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Marahta quota activist Manoj Jarange is requesting that all Marathas be awarded Kunbi certificates, which would make them eligible for quota benefits.
"I started taking intravenous fluids around 3 am today after a Maharashtra minister assured me to resolve the issue of Maratha reservation. But if the government does not resolve the issue immediately, I will stop taking fluids again and reveal the minister's name if he does not fulfil the promise. We have been protesting for the last 10 years, and they have tested our patience," Jarange told reporters on Wednesday.
He reaffirmed his demand for the execution of the 'sage soyare' notification and the Hyderabad Gazette for Kunbi records of Marathas, as well as the removal of all police cases filed against Maratha demonstrators during last year's agitation.
"I reiterated our demands for implementation of the 'sage soyare' notification and the Hyderabad Gazette for Kunbi records of Marathas. Our other demand is the withdrawal of all police cases filed against the Maratha protesters during the agitation last year," he said.
Jarange further stated that if the problem was not handled, he would field candidates for all 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra in the next state elections in October.
"We will become givers of reservation, not takers," he emphasised and added, "I will fight for the cause of Maratha reservation till death. I have trusted the government for 10 months, but the notification for the sage soyare committee, issued five months ago, is yet to be implemented."
During their meeting on Tuesday, MP Bhumre told Jarange that the administration was aggressively pursuing a satisfactory settlement to the Maratha reservation issue.
On Tuesday, district health officer Jayashri Bhusare reported that Jarange's blood pressure and sugar levels were dropping, necessitating IV fluids and medications.
