Activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, currently on an indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan to demand reservation for the Maratha community, has declared that he will not leave the city until his demands are fulfilled, PTI reported on Sunday.

The 43-year-old activist has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday to press for the reservation. He has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas and wants them to be recognised as Kunbis – a peasant sub-caste of the Marathas.

He wants the government to issue ‘Kunbi certificates’ to all Marathas, so that the entire community can be classified as OBC and then benefit from reservations.

“From tomorrow, I will stop taking water as the government is not accepting the demands. But I am not going back till the quota demand is met. We will get Maratha reservation under the OBC category no matter what,” Jarange was quoted as saying by PTI.

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“Our demand is constitutionally valid. The government has records of 58 lakh Marathas as Kunbis. Marathas will come to Mumbai (for the agitation) as and when they get time,” he added.

“Don’t consider agitators as crowd”: Jarange-Patil to govt

According to PTI, Jarange said people from the Maratha community have come to Mumbai to participate in the agitation with a lot of pain in their hearts and urged the Maharashtra government not to consider them as a “crowd”.

“The government shouldn’t consider them as a crowd. They have come here with a lot of pain,” he said.

Also Read | City chokes for the second day as Maratha agitation continues

This was after a large number of agitators were present at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), impacting traffic in the area and nearby junctions.

“As the Agitation at Azad Maidan still continues, agitators are present at CSMT Junction Impacting traffic in the area and near by junctions. Motorist are advised to avoid these route and take alternate route to reach their destination,” the Mumbai Traffic Police wrote on their X handle.

Meanwhile, Jarange has urged his supporters to park their vehicles in designated parking slots and take the train to Azad Maidan.