Maratha Quota Stir Escalates: Jarange Patil Calls For Covert Mumbai March Ahead of Ganeshotsav

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has upped the ante in his demand for reservation, launching his 11th hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati and urging the Maratha Community to discreetly converge on Mumbai by September 12. This call for a dispersed, 'guerrilla warfare'-like mobilization, avoiding mass gatherings and leveraging private accommodations, aims to pressure the Maharashtra Government just days before the auspicious Ganeshotsav festival begins. Jarange insists on the immediate issuance of Kunbi Certificates to all eligible Marathas, rejecting the government's claims of progress on this front. This latest escalation by Jarange Patil stems from persistent dissatisfaction with the Mahayuti Government response to the long-standing Maratha Reservation Movement. Despite a recent 10% reservation passed by the state legislature, Jarange's core demand remains inclusion within the existing Other Backward Classes (OBC) category via Kunbi Certificates, which the Supreme Court of India has previously ruled against when quotas exceeded the 50% reservation cap. The government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has been extending committees for genealogy verification, yet Jarange views these efforts as delaying tactics, intensifying the political deadlock. The coming days are critical. With the September 12 deadline looming and Ganeshotsav commencing on September 14, Mumbai civic and security machinery faces immense pressure as dispersed protesters are expected to coalesce. The strategy to avoid initial police detection, coupled with Jarange's unwavering hunger strike, sets the stage for a potentially volatile period, forcing the Maharashtra Government to find a swift and concrete resolution to a demand that has repeatedly reshaped the state's political landscape.