Maratha quota stir enters Day 2: Manoj Jarange warns govt not to test endurance; traffic comes to standstill in South Mumbai – top developments | Mumbai News

NEW DELHI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite starvation strike at Mumbai’s historic Azad Maidan on Saturday, warning the federal government not to test the endurance of the neighborhood.Demand: 10% quota for Marathas below the OBC class Speaking to reporters, Jarange clarified that the agitation is not a requirement for lowering the OBC quota. “We are only demanding that we get our rightful share of quota based on the eligibility under the Kunbi category,” he stated. He is in search of a ten% quota for Marathas below the OBC class, arguing that recognition as Kunbis — an agrarian caste already included in the OBC listing — will make them eligible for presidency jobs and training.

Jarange accused the federal government of spreading misinformation and urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to insult poor Marathas. “We don’t want to indulge in politics. We only want a reservation. The government should not test the patience of the Maratha community,” he stated. Jarange’s calls for in dialogue: CM Fadnavis Fadnavis stated on Friday that the state authorities remained optimistic about resolving social and monetary points for Marathas however that political reservations had been exterior the scope. A cupboard sub-committee is reportedly discussing Jarange’s calls for throughout the constitutional framework. Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the sub-committee, stated dialogue remained the best way ahead.Traffic disruption Traffic comes to standstill in south Mumbai on Day 2.The protest coincided with the Ganesh competition and traffic close to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) got here to a standstill, with police struggling to clear the roads.

Many protesters gathered exterior the CSMT junction, blocking key routes and inflicting widespread congestion throughout Mumbai. Puddles shaped on the protest web site due to in a single day rain, and plenty of complained of meals shortage, alleging that retailers across the space had been shut.Political and neighborhood assist This is Jarange’s seventh starvation strike since 2023. Around 30,000 protesters reportedly converged in town. Several Maratha MLAs and MPs, together with representatives from NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and different regional events, visited Azad Maidan to present assist. ‘This is the ultimate combat’ Jarange criticised Fadnavis’ previous report, referring to police motion throughout a earlier protest in Antarwali Sarati two years in the past and alleging that promised farmer mortgage waivers and different advantages had been not carried out. He advised supporters, “This is the final fight. Either the government will kill me with bullets or I will die in the hunger strike.” Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde echoed Fadnavis, saying that Maratha quota calls for might not cut back the OBC reservation. Jarange urged followers to stay peaceable and, whereas stationed at Azad Maidan, suggested them to wait in Navi Mumbai if wanted, emphasising that the protest would not finish till the Maratha neighborhood secured its “share of quota.”