Maratha community members get ready for Mumbai march

Pune: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s supporters from several districts said they have begun preparing for an extended agitation in Mumbai. Jarange is expected to announce the date of the march on Saturday.He has been on a hunger strike in Jalna’s Antarwali Sarati village for two weeks. Talks between him and the state govt representatives gave no positive results.Mohan Wadekar, a member of Maratha Kranti Morcha from Pune’s Chakan area, said, “When Jarange held his agitation in Mumbai last year, thousands from our area joined him. This time too, we will be in Mumbai if he calls for such an agitation.”Jarange’s announcement will coincide with Ganeshotsav. His supporters said they would not celebrate the festival to travel to Mumbai. Ganesh Bagude, a Maratha activist from Beed district, said, “We are waiting for the announcement by Jarange on Sept 12. If the agitation is announced, several community members will be ready for the long haul in Mumbai. The state govt should not have stretched the issue so far. It should have found a solution and convinced Jarange to end the agitation.”Meanwhile, members of Pune district unit of Maratha Kranti Morcha recently met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and urged him to take help from experts from the community to ensure that the socially and educationally backward classes quota sustains in the court.Rajendra Kunjir, state coordinator of Maratha Kranti Morcha, said, “While Jarange is fighting a battle for the community on the streets, we are trying to ensure that the SEBC reservation for the Maratha community sustains. In a recent meeting with the chief minister, we requested him to hold regular meetings with the experts from the Maratha community to get more information which can be submitted during the court hearings.”