Maratha stir escalates in Mumbai as Jarange Patil continues fast

Mumbai: Manoj Jarange Patil continued his fast for the second day in Mumbai Saturday, even as the Maharashtra government sent a delegation led by retired high court judge Sandeep Shinde to talk to the Maratha leader who is leading an agitation demanding reservation benefits for his community.

The Devendra Fadnavis government sent the delegation seeking to resolve the issue on a day when union home minister Amit Shah was in Mumbai to visit the Ganpati pandal at Lalbaug. Justice Sandeep Shinde heads a committee formed in 2023 by then Eknath Shinde government to decide the methodology for issuing "kunbi" caste certificates to the Maratha community. "Kunbi" is an OBC community.

Shah met senior BJP leaders as well as Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena leader who is now the deputy chief minister.


While what was discussed between Shinde and Shah was not known, the meeting coming in the backdrop of the Maratha agitation is significant.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut of the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena on Saturday claimed that Eknath Shinde was "helping the protestors to put Fadnavis in trouble".

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray also took potshots at Shinde, saying: "Ask Eknath Shinde why the Maratha protestors have come back to protest. He is the best person to answer."