30 September,2026 09:09 AM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondent
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange. File Pic/PTI
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday urged members of the community to remain patient and prepare for what he described as a bigger fight over reservation, saying he would announce his future course of action in 15 days.
Jarange made the remarks after being discharged from a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He claimed that the Maratha community was close to achieving its reservation demand but alleged that leaders of the ruling parties were working to derail the movement.
The activist recently ended a 20-day hunger strike during which he pressed for reservation for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category for those with Kunbi caste genealogy.
Speaking to reporters after his discharge, Jarange said the community would need to prepare for further action while avoiding destructive methods.
''We have to prepare for a big fight in future. The enemy is big and is united. But we have to break all the conspiracies, and we are very close to winning. We need patience to win. The community should also learn that instead of being destructive, it is necessary to be knowledgeable. The way they (the ruling parties) are taking revenge patiently, we will respond the same way,'' he said while speaking to reporters.
Jarange said the movement had reached a stage where patience and awareness among members of the community would be important.
He also said he would provide more details about his next steps after 15 days, including what he described as the need to counter efforts to undermine the reservation demand.
The activist alleged that leaders of the ruling parties were conspiring against the Maratha community's reservation demand. He did not provide specific details of the alleged conspiracies but said he would explain his concerns and the proposed response in greater detail after 15 days.
Jarange's comments come after his recent hunger strike, which focused on the demand for inclusion of eligible Marathas under the OBC category through Kunbi caste records and genealogy.
He urged members of the community to remain engaged with the issue while preparing for further action.
Jarange also criticised politicians for visiting villages without adequately addressing the problems faced by farmers.
He urged villagers to question political leaders who visit their areas and ask them what steps they have taken to address agricultural distress.
"Leaders walk into fields in clean clothes while farmers lack drinking water and have lost their crop investments. They live in luxury while a farmer's life after suicide is valued at just Rs 1.5 lakh," Jarange said, urging villagers to question visiting politicians.
He said the concerns of farmers should be addressed alongside the wider political and social issues being raised by the Maratha community.
Jarange also spoke about his health following the 20-day hunger strike.
He said doctors had advised him to take 10 to 12 days of complete rest after his discharge from the hospital. A routine follow-up examination has also been scheduled.
Jarange said he would use the period to recover before outlining his next course of action.
The activist said he would return with details of his plans after 15 days and urged members of the Maratha community to remain patient as the reservation issue continues to be debated.
(With inputs from PTI)
