Maratha quota stir: Manoj Jarange 'ready' for talks but 'won't leave Mumbai'; slams CM Devendra Fadnavis

NEW DELHI: Activist Manoj Jarange, who has been staging a hunger strike to seek quota for Marathas, on Tuesday said he is ready for talks with the government, but asserted he will not leave Mumbai till his demands are met. Jarange, whose agitation at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai entered its fifth day, claimed the protesters have not violated any law and that nobody can stop Marathas from entering the state capital. He alleged that Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was giving false information to the Bombay High Court (over the quota agitation) and that he will have to "pay a price" for it.

Nobody can stop Maratha protesters from coming to Mumbai by this weekend, the activist said. "You will not know whether they are Mumbaikars or Marathas. Next Monday whatever happens will be because of Fadnavis' mistake," Jarange claimed, adding he has no bitterness towards the CM. He also asked the Maratha protesters to maintain peace and said he will ensure the government accepts his demand for quota and issues a GR recognising Marathas as Kunbi - an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes category - which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.

Jarange said even if he dies, Marathas should stay calm. Mumbai police on Tuesday issued a notice to Jarange and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan at the earliest, claiming they violated conditions laid down for the protest. Earlier, the HC on Monday asked his supporters to vacate and clean up all streets in the city by Tuesday noon and restore normalcy. The government shall also ensure that no more protesters, as claimed by Jarange, shall enter the city henceforth, the HC said. "I am ready for talks with the government," the 43-year-old activist said addressing his supporters on the fifth day of his protest at Azad Maidan. "I can go to any extent if you also do that. I am not moving out of here till my demands are met. If you try to arrest or evict us from Mumbai, it will be dangerous for you," he warned. Jarange further said he wants to tell Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that he is not going out of Mumbai. "I am confident that the high court will give poor Marathas justice. We are following all directives of the high court. There are 4,000 to 5,000 protesters. Give us homes if you wish," he said. Jarange alleged CM Fadnavis was giving false information to the high court and that he will have to "pay a price". He said the government should issue a GR saying it is implementing Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers to declare Marathas as Kunbis. The notification, which extends quota benefits associated with the OBC community to the "sage-soyare" (blood relatives) of eligible Marathas, should also be implemented immediately, Jarange said. Talking to reporters at the protest venue, he claimed that retired High Court judge Sandeep Shinde, who met him on Saturday at Azad Maidan, had told him that the study of Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers has been completed. Jarange said he is 100 per cent confident that the court will give justice to the Maratha community.(With agency inputs)