The development signals that the agitation is no longer confined to the proposed protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Jarange is also seeking to involve Maratha women in reaching out directly to the families of senior political leaders. Meanwhile, he has announced the date and route of the march to Mumbai.
Manoj Jarange has been on a hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati for the past 14 days. He is demanding a concrete solution from the government on the Maratha reservation issue. No such solution has been presented so far.
At a meeting of the Maratha community held at Antarwali Sarati on September 12, Jarange announced a protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. He said the march would begin on September 15 and that the protesters planned to reach Mumbai on September 19.
The announcement comes amid a recent exchange between Jarange and Amruta Fadnavis. Some time ago, Amruta Fadnavis had invited Jarange to her home for a meal. Jarange had then said that as the agitation was underway, he would visit her home on Bhaubeej. Amruta had also said that she was waiting for her brother Jarange to visit.
Now, statements from both sides have emerged over the reservation issue amid the reference to their brother-sister relationship.
On Saturday in Ahilyanagar, Amruta Fadnavis reacted to Manoj Jarange’s decision to travel to Mumbai. She said Jarange would take festivals, Ganeshotsav and crowds into consideration before going to Mumbai. She said Jarange would take a peaceful decision. Amruta had earlier also referred to Jarange as her brother and invited him to her home for a meal.
Following Amruta Fadnavis’s appeal, Manoj Jarange made a special appeal to Maratha women. He asked women from the Maratha community to go to the homes of Lata Shinde and Amruta Fadnavis, organise a haldi-kumkum programme and raise the demand for reservation.
Jarange said, “We are going to Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Our mothers, aunts and beloved sisters Amruta Fadnavis and Lata Shinde will be visited by Maratha women. They should go there, offer haldi-kumkum to the Maratha women and demand reservation.”
‘One’s beloved sister, the other’s beloved elder sister’
Jarange took the appeal further in his own style, referring to the relationships being discussed from both sides. He said, “Now they will have a problem. One’s beloved sister, the other’s beloved elder sister. A stage will have to be set.”
Following Jarange’s statement, discussion has also intensified over the role of women in the Maratha agitation. His emphasis is on Maratha women going directly to the homes of the leaders and presenting their demand.
The Mumbai march will begin on September 15. According to Jarange, the march will start from Antarwali Sarati, with a halt at Patoda in Beed on the first day.
On September 16, the protesters are scheduled to reach Shrigonda in Ahilyanagar. On September 17, the plan is to halt at Hadapsar in Pune. The protesters are scheduled to stop at Khopoli in Raigad on September 18 before reaching Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on September 19.
Jarange has been fasting at Antarwali Sarati, and as of September 12, his hunger strike had completed 14 days. He maintains that the government has not yet found a concrete solution to the Maratha reservation issue. This has led him to announce the next phase of the agitation in Mumbai.
The Maratha agitation is reaching Mumbai at a time when Maharashtra is witnessing a festival atmosphere. During Ganeshotsav, large numbers of people remain on Mumbai’s roads, creating a challenge for the administration in terms of crowds and traffic.
Amruta Fadnavis has appealed to Jarange to take these circumstances into account and make a peaceful decision, while Jarange has already announced September 15 as the date for the march and September 19 as the planned arrival at Azad Maidan. The focus now remains on how the government and protesters proceed with talks over the Maratha reservation demand.
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