Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil leads the Maratha Reservation Front's march at Viman Nagar in Pune.
Credit: PTI Photo
Waving saffron flags and national tricolour, lakhs of people demanding reservation for the Maratha community have entered the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) coinciding with the Republic Day - in what is being seen as a final battle of the community to secure reservation in jobs and education.
While Shivba Sanghatana founder Manoj Jarange-Patil is currently in Vashi in the satellite township of Navi Mumbai, a group of senior government officials and emissaries of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are in touch with him making final efforts to convince him.
Hundreds of activists took trains from the stations in Navi Mumbai and reached the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai.
Jarange-Patil waved saffron flags, national tricolour and a mace - even as the crowd cheered.
On the other hand, Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais reiterated the commitment of the government to give reservation to the Maratha community. “A committee has been formed under the chairmanship of Justice Sandeep Shinde (Retd) regarding Maratha reservation. The state government filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court in May 2023. A task force of senior lawyers has been formed to effectively represent the government,” Bais said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Ministers - Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, who were in Nagpur and Pune, respectively, reiterated the commitment of the government to give reservation to the Marathas.
“The government has given me some time, I will study and let's meet again post 2 pm,” Jarange-Patil told a huge gathering of supporters.