Released from hospital, Manoj Jarange-Patil refuses to celebrate Diwali

Mumbai: Maratha reservation campaigner Manoj Jarange-Patil, who on Sunday was discharged from the Galaxy Superspeciality Hospital and Research Institute in Chhatrapati SambhajiNagar, was accorded grand welcome en route to Antarwali Sarathi village (Ambad tehsil, Jalna district).

However, Jarange-Patil, who is in his forties, said that neither would he go to his home nor would he celebrate Diwali.

“People have died by suicide demanding Maratha reservation. Hence I would not be celebrating Diwali,” the Shivba Sanghatana founder said hours before he walked out of the hospital.

Earlier, he had announced that he would not visit his home till the Maratha community gets reservation in education and jobs.

“In the next couple of days, we would meet and chalk out our plans,” he said, adding that during his November 15-23 tour, he would also be visiting Mumbai. “I would tour parts of Konkan, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra,” he said.

Jarange-Patil went on the first hunger strike from August 29-September 14, which he broke after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured the demands of issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas in Marathwada region and looked at options to give blanket reservation to the community.

Thereafter, Jarange-Patil undertook a tour of various districts in the state and the deadline that he had given the Maharashtra government ended on October 24.

From October 25, he again went on hunger strike, which he ended on November 2. This was after two separate delegations met him. The first one was led by Justice M G Gaikwad (Retd) and Justice Sunil Shukre (Retd), and including officials like Jalna’s District Collector Dr Shrikrishnanath Panchal and Superintendent of Police Shailesh Balkawade. After this, a four-member ministerial delegation comprising Dhananjay Munde, Sandipan Bhumare, Uday Samant and Atul Save explained him the government's position. The scope of Kunbi certificates has now been extended to the entire state.

On the other hand, the government is also going to pursue a curative petition in the Supreme Court and as an advising body, it has formed a three-member panel of judges - Justice Dilip Bhosale (Retd), Justice M G Gaikwad (Retd) and Justice Sandeep Shinde (Retd).