Maratha agitation leader Manoj Jarange, who has been on a hunger strike for the last five days, asserted on Tuesday that he would not leave Azad Maidan in Mumbai until his demands are met. His assertion came shortly after the city police issued a notice to the activist and his supporters to vacate the protest venue immediately.
The Mumbai Police revoked permission for the Maratha reservation agitation at Azad Maidan, citing violation of the conditions laid out by the Bombay High Court.
Jarange claimed that the protesters had not violated any law and that nobody can stop Marathas from entering the state capital. He, however, asked his supporters to maintain peace and said he will ensure the government accepts his demands.
The 43-year-old activist launched his hunger strike on August 27, demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas in government jobs and education. He wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis, an agrarian caste included in the OBC category, which will make them eligible for reservation.
‘CM giving false information’
Jarange also launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing him of giving false information to the High Court over the quota agitation. He said the CM will have to “pay a price” for it.
The activist expressed his readiness for talks with the government bur warned that any move to evict or arrest the protesters will have consequences.
"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 said.
"Next Monday whatever happens will be because of Fadnavis' mistake," he further said.
On Monday, the High Court asked the agitators to vacate all streets in the city by Tuesday noon, observing that all pre-agitation conditions had been violated.
"We are giving Jarange and his supporters an opportunity to rectify the situation immediately and ensure the streets are vacated and cleaned up by Tuesday noon," the court said.
Jarange claimed that after the court order, the protesters removed all their vehicles and there was no traffic jam anywhere in Mumbai.
“We are peacefully sitting on a hunger strike. We said at night, remove the cars from the road and put them in the field, after which our boys removed all the cars within four to five hours, what more can be done than this. We are the guardians of the law and the divine justice," the activist said.