Manoj Jarange asks Marathas to be patient, prepare for bigger fight over reservation

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 daysJarange 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 movementThe activist recently ended a 20day hunger strike during which he pressed for reservation for Marathas under the Other Backward Classes OBC category for those with Kunbi caste genealogyActivist calls for patience and preparationSpeaking to reporters after his discharge Jarange said the community would need to prepare for further action while avoiding destructive methodsWe 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 reportersJarange said the movement had reached a stage where patience and awareness among members of the community would be importantHe 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 demandJarange alleges attempts to derail reservation demandThe activist alleged that leaders of the ruling parties were conspiring against the Maratha communitys 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 daysJaranges 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 genealogyHe urged members of the community to remain engaged with the issue while preparing for further actionQuestions politicians visiting villagesJarange also criticised politicians for visiting villages without adequately addressing the problems faced by farmersHe urged villagers to question political leaders who visit their areas and ask them what steps they have taken to address agricultural distressLeaders walk into fields in clean clothes while farmers lack drinking water and have lost their crop investments They live in luxury while a farmers life after suicide is valued at just Rs 15 lakh Jarange said urging villagers to question visiting politiciansHe said the concerns of farmers should be addressed alongside the wider political and social issues being raised by the Maratha communityDoctors advise Jarange to restJarange also spoke about his health following the 20day hunger strikeHe said doctors had advised him to take 10 to 12 days of complete rest after his discharge from the hospital A routine followup examination has also been scheduledJarange said he would use the period to recover before outlining his next course of actionThe 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 debatedWith inputs from PTI