The Maratha reservation agitation, which was put on the backburner in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections, is once again occupying the centrestage with the health condition of Manoj Jarange-Patil deteriorating sharply. On Tuesday, which is the fifth day of his indefinite fast at his native village Antarvali Sarati in Jalna district, doctors said he needs urgent medical care.
However, the Maratha leader has refused any medical help and has rejected even IV fluids. He said he will withdraw his fast on the day the state government includes all Marathas in the OBC category so that they can get benefits of reservation in government jobs and education.
He said the ten per cent quota reserved for Marathas over and above the 50 % cap laid by the Supreme Court was an eyewash. He accused the government of not being sincere about resolving the issue. Reacting to senior minister and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal's statement that the Maratha agitation had little impact on the LS poll outcome, Jarange Patil retorted: ``Wait till the assembly elections." He has threatened to field candidates in all the 288 seats.
The Maha Yuti is worried that if the agitation spreads then it will adversely impact it in the assembly elections which are likely to be held in October this year. As of now the government has nothing to offer to Jarange Patil since it has already passed a law unanimously in the legislature and it is already under challenge in the Bombay high court.
According to sources, a senior leader, who is vehemently opposed to the BJP, is behind the revival of the agitation. Meanwhile, there are reports that the Sakal Maratha Samaj, an umbrella organisation of the Marathas, has urged NCP leader Sharad Pawar to lead the agitation.
