Manoj Jarange Patil’s company will start an indefinite hunger strike from May 30
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Friday (May 29, 2026) reiterated that he will start an indefinite hunger strike from Saturday (May 30, 2026) under the scorching sun without shade at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district of Maharashtra.
He remained firm on his decision even after meeting a delegation of BJP leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patila Prasad Lad, who accused the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government of subjecting his agnipariksha to a “cruel trial by fire”.
“They are taking the agniparisksha of the Maratha community. This arrogance of the government should end. Mr. Fadnavis should sit in this May heat like me for two days. If he has the guts,” said Mr. Jarange Patil, terming his upcoming agitation as the toughest of all.
A delegation of BJP leaders Mr. Vikhe Patil and Prasad Lad met Mr. Jarange Patil on Friday (May 29, 2026) to discuss his demands. He is again protesting the irregularities in the certificate issued, the delay in issuing the pending certificates and the extension of the deadline for the Sandeep Shinde Committee to trace the Kunbi records by another year.
Maharashtra Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Friday (May 29, 2026) morning reiterated that he had full confidence that Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil would withdraw his agitation once he knew what the government had done for Maratha reservation. However, Mr. Jarange Patil is not convinced by the government’s assurance and has decided to start an agitation.
After meeting Jarange Patil, Mr. Vikhe Patil said, “I have instructed the Collectors to do a spot survey on the situation in their districts. I agree with his point that things are not looking great on the ground. So we have issued the SOP and ensured that things move faster in the next few months.”
’58 lakhs Kunbi entries’
Manoj Jarange Patil on Friday (May 29, 2026) dismissed the claim of 58 lakh Kunbi enrollments as a misunderstanding by BJP minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, saying the government itself had announced the figures.
“How can anyone call it a misunderstanding? If it is a misunderstanding, then give the correct number. It was the government that demanded 58 million items. If it is 10 million, then tell us, give the correct number,” said Mr. Jarange Patil in response to Mr. Vikhe Patil’s remarks.
The 58 thousand entries here mean 58 thousand individual documentary mentions of the association of the word “Kunbi” with Maratha families across ancient historical records.
On Friday (May 29, 2026), Mr. Vikhe Patil, while highlighting the issues of quota implementation, said, “The government has also formed a sub-committee to monitor the implementation of reservation and distribution of Kunbi certificates.” Someone misinformed him about 58 million items. We will give all these things during our meeting and clarify. 58 thousand items is not a question. Reservations are made throughout the state. More than 2.5 lakh Kunbi certificates are issued in Marathwada. Satara Gazette also has some legal problems.’
Other issues that Mr. Vikhe Patil addressed were the issues under the Hyderabad Gazette, which he said was taking a long time to implement. “Hyderabad gazette has no names, only numbers and it has become tiresome to prove relationships by historical records and also to allege that there is negligence at the local level and some officer is deliberately delaying it.
“The timelines are being ascertained to ensure booking, they are regularly updating about that too. However, several legal conditions like certificate verification are pending, but that doesn’t mean the government is not working,” he added.
Regarding the cases filed against the protesters during the protest, he said, “95% of the cases have already been withdrawn. Of the 668 cases filed, 567 have been withdrawn.”
Published – 30 May 2026 09:24 IST