Maratha quota agitation called off as Maharashtra govt accepts demands

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Maratha quota leader Jarange Patil in Navi Mumbai, where the latter has been camping with thousands of protesters over the demand for reservations for his community.

Jarange Patil and the government delegation held detailed discussions around midnight, which was successful, and later the government. Issued an official notification (a government resolution), a copy of which was handed over. to him around 5 a.m.

Thereafter, he consulted his team and decided to call off the agitation.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with cabinet minister Grish Mahajan and others, went to Navi Mumbai around 8 a.m. and offered a glass of fruit juice to Jarange Patil, following which he ended his 3-day hunger strike.

On this occasion, Chief Minister Shinde addressed the gathering and said the state government has accepted all the demands of the community and ordered them to give reservations to the community that are legally valid.

Among those who were engaged in the night-long operation were Ministers Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Deepak Kesarkar, top officers like Social Justice Department Secretary Sumant Bhange, Aurangabad Divisional Commissioner Madhukar Arangal, and CM's Private Secretary Dr. Amol Shinde.

Lakhs of Marathas who had gathered in Navi Mumbai erupted into dawn celebrations, playing drums, dancing, and singing at the success of the 6-month-long campaign.

The Marathas leaders announced that they would not enter Mumbai as planned, and after that, the protestors who came here from all over the state started returning home.