“If the government listens to certain pressures (from OBC leaders including Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal) and if anything goes wrong, we will challenge the 1994 GR in court which gave our reservation to others. We will not spare anyone then. We will ensure that the 1994 GR is also withdrawn,” he warned the OBC leaders.
Jarange-Patil withdrew his agitation on its fifth day after he received a draft of an official Government Resolution (GR) on the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette, granting Kunbi OBC status to Marathas of the Marathwada region, which was given to him by the delegation of ministers at Azad Maidan on Tuesday evening.
The GRs are regarding the implementation of Hyderabad Gazette within an hour, the implementation of Satara Gazette in a month and another GR with regards to the withdrawal of police cases against Maratha reservation activists.
The National OBC Federation organised a relay hunger strike at the Samvidhan Chowk in Nagpur on Saturday to thwart Jarange-Patil's attempt to provide reservation to the Marathas by including them under the OBC Kunbi category.
His statement comes on the second day of his protest as the police have extended permission till Saturday, though he has reiterated that he won’t leave Mumbai until the government implements reservation for Maratha.
“We will protest within the rules. We will protest until reservation is implemented. We will also follow the law. We also accept the government's condition of five thousand people at the protest venue,” he said.
Reacting to the police’s decision, Jarange-Patil said, “I will not comment much on the permission for the protest right now, as I do not know the exact terms and conditions. I will read the police order and then respond. However, I thank the government and the court for granting permission to protest.”
Rajendra Sable Patil, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister, met Jarange at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters in Antarwali Sarathi village of Jalna district, Jarange-Patil said the march would begin on August 27, the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, and culminate in Mumbai on August 29, where he and his supporters would launch an indefinite hunger strike.
