Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange called off his 20-day hunger strike in Beed on Thursday after talks with a Maharashtra government delegation. He gave the state three months to address his demands, warning that the agitation would move to Mumbai
Published Date – 17 September 2026, 06:21 PM
Beed: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Thursday called off his 20-day-old fast and warned the Maharashtra government that he would take the protest to Mumbai if his demands over Maratha reservation were not considered within three months.
Jarange made the announcement after talks with a government delegation that included ministers Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Dada Bhuse, MLC Prasad Lad, MLA Suresh Dhas and senior officials at Patoda in Beed district.
The development came days after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government would not tolerate intimidating tactics and questioned the timing of the agitation during the ongoing Ganesh festival.
Fadnavis on Thursday welcomed Jarange’s decision to end his fast, saying the government had already accepted 12 of his 13 demands and would fulfil each of them. He said the remaining demand involved judicial issues, which had been explained to Jarange.
During their meeting with Jarange in Patoda, where the activist had halted on his way to Mumbai, the delegation members informed him about the steps initiated by the state government on the Maratha quota issue.
Vikhe Patil suggested that Jarange depute three representatives to monitor the progress of official work on his demands.
“It will take around three-four months to act on the Kolhapur and Satara gazette after a written comment is received from the advocate general,” the minister said, and urged Jarange to call off his hunger strike.
Jarange said he remained firm on his demand for “official recognition” of historical administrative records such as the Hyderabad Gazette, Satara Gazette and Aundh Gazette so that Marathas can establish Kunbi lineage and claim OBC reservation benefits.
“The government should give in writing that not a single ‘Kunbi’ record will be ignored. The chief minister should sign that paper,” he said.
Jarange said he would take his protest to Mumbai if the government reneged on the assurance given to him.
“If we are betrayed in the next three months, then we all will directly go to Mumbai along with our kids and women,” he said, and asked the more than one lakh Marathas who had already gone to Mumbai to return to their homes.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters after attending the flag-hoisting ceremony in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on the occasion of Hyderabad Muktisangram Din, also known as Marathwada Liberation Day, Fadnavis expressed happiness over the development.
“I am happy that Manoj Jarange called off his hunger strike following our appeal. We have already accepted 12 of his 13 demands. Regarding the remaining demand, we have explained the judicial issues involved.”
The CM said the promises made by the government or by the sub-committee on Maratha reservations would be fulfilled.
“The decisions have already been taken, but the administrative issues involved need to be addressed, and we will do so,” he said.
The government has always been positive towards the Maratha community and its doors are always open, he said. “Whether it is me or (Deputy CM) Eknath Shinde, the Maratha community has received the most during our tenure,” he said.
Jarange, who had set out from his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, was scheduled to reach Mumbai on September 19 after passing through Ahilyanagar, Pune and Khopoli in Raigad district. He had hinted on Wednesday that he might cancel his tour to Mumbai, citing a severe burning sensation in his stomach and feet.
Last year, Jarange’s hunger strike at Azad Maidan had brought south Mumbai to a standstill as thousands of his supporters poured into the city.
That agitation was called off on September 2, 2025, after the government accepted six of his eight demands and initiated steps for Kunbi classification certificates.
