Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has suspended his indefinite hunger strike that began on June 8, after Maharashtra minister and member of Maratha quota sub-committee Shambhuraj Desai and Shiv Sena MP Sandipan Bhumre met him at his native Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district and discussed the issue.
He set a deadline of one month before the Maharashtra government to accept the community's demands. Jarange warned that if the government fails to meet the deadline, he will field candidates in all 288 Assembly constituencies in the upcoming polls.
State health minister Tanaji Sawant and Ambadas Danve, leader of the opposition in the legislative council, also met Jarange at Antarwali Sarati earlier.
Addressing people at the protest site, Jarange said, "We are giving a month's time to the government to fulfil the demands of the Maratha community. But we will also go ahead with our preparations for the upcoming assembly elections." "If the government doesn't provide reservation to us, we will go and take it. If the demands are not fulfilled in a month, neither the opposition members nor those in the government should come to us", he said.
"Of the last five months, two months passed in following the model code of conduct (for the Lok Sabha polls). We will take a positive decision on the demands of the Maratha community in a month. If additional manpower is required to expedite the work, we will do so with the permission of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde," he said.
