After Midnight Deal, Jarange Calls Off Indefinite Fast

Jarange-Patil ended his agitation at around 1.15 a.m. following a breakthrough in talks with a government delegation. The development came after late-night discussions between Maratha reservation “experts” and Cabinet minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil. After the government agreed to incorporate suggested amendments in a draft proposal, Vikhe-Patil and BJP legislator Prasad Lad met Jarange-Patil at around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The discussions between the Maratha quota activist and the government delegation, comprising Vikhe-Patil and Lad, lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours. The delegation assured Jarange-Patil that formal orders on key demands of the Maratha community would be issued by June 2. However, he warned that he would resume the agitation if the government failed to honour its commitments within the stipulated time frame.

Following the talks, Jarange-Patil announced that the agitation was being suspended as the government had agreed to issue orders based on a mutually accepted draft by Tuesday. He also cautioned that Vikhe-Patil and Lad would be held accountable if the assurances were not implemented.

After ending the fast, Jarange-Patil, who was suffering from heatstroke, was admitted to Galaxy Hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for treatment.

Speaking to reporters at the hospital on Sunday, Jarange-Patil said, “Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil came with a draft proposal. Discussions were held on it throughout the day and continued late into the night. The draft was placed before experts and members of the Maratha community, following which we submitted our suggestions. The government has agreed to issue the necessary directions and orders. We were told that work on the process would begin from Monday. A period of one month has been given for implementation. If there is no satisfactory progress after that, I am free to resume the agitation.”

Jarange-Patil said the government could take an additional month to decide on the Satara Gazette issue, but stressed that the process of issuing Kunbi certificates to eligible Marathas should continue in the meantime.

According to the understanding reached between the government and the Maratha quota activist, the government has agreed to provide access to 58 lakh historical records, issue Kunbi certificates to those whose records establish eligibility, and convene meetings under divisional commissioners within 15 days to address caste validity-related issues.

The government has also agreed to grant a one-year extension to the Justice Shinde Committee, establish helplines in district collectorates for assistance with certificate validity matters, launch a dedicated helpline under the Maratha reservation sub-committee headed by Vikhe-Patil, and set up a Maratha Reservation Cell in Mantralaya.

Speaking to reporters, Lad said the government had understood the activist’s demands within a day, leading to the withdrawal of the agitation. “So far, nobody has tried to understand the issues in the manner we did,” he said.