Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday altered his Mumbai agitation plan, saying he would travel to the city with just four to five associates. Jarange took this decision after police denied permission for his proposed hunger strike at Azad Maidan during Ganeshotsav.The move came even as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appealed to Jarange to reconsider travelling to Mumbai during the festival and said most of his demands had already been addressed. “Almost all demands have been met. Some demands are in court and at different stages. But demands cannot be met unless one approaches the court or another constitutional forum. We have apprised him about it,” Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai.Jarange, who has been on an indefinite fast at Antarwali Sarati since Aug 29, said he would leave for Mumbai on Tuesday and reach the state capital on Sept 19 via Patoda, Shrigonda, Hadapsar and Khopoli.“If I am stopped, lakhs of Marathas will enter Mumbai without permission,” he warned.Mumbai Police have reportedly informed Jarange that permission for his hunger strike could be considered after Ganeshotsav and at a venue other than Azad Maidan. It is the second consecutive rejection of permission for the agitation.Seeking Kunbi recognition for the entire Maratha community and reservation benefits under the OBC quota, Jarange said he would first “fight the battle alone.” He urged supporters not to use the vehicles and funds collected for the agitation.Jarange also said he had stopped taking saline and that the next few days would be “life-threatening”. He added that he would spend nights in public places rather than at private residences along the route.Minister Shambhuraj Desai said he would soon meet Jarange to clear what he termed misunderstandings. He said some of Jarange’s statements were “half-truths” and that govt was sincerely pursuing legal processes on issues such as the Satara Gazette and 58 lakh Kunbi records.Shiv Sena politician Ramdas Kadam also appealed to Jarange to exercise restraint during Ganeshotsav, claiming that 14 of his demands had been accepted and the remaining issues were under consideration. He said govt’s position that justice for the Maratha community should not come at the cost of the OBC community is appropriate.Meanwhile, BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, without naming Jarange, urged all organisations and individuals to avoid protests during Ganeshotsav and help maintain social harmony.
