Jalna (Maharashtra): Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday evening agreed to take water and undergo saline treatment after BJP MLA Prasad Lad met him on the government’s behalf, but maintained that his …

Jalna (Maharashtra): Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Wednesday evening agreed to take water and undergo saline treatment after BJP MLA Prasad Lad met him on the government’s behalf, but maintained that his indefinite fast would continue until all his demands were met.Jarange began his latest indefinite hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district on August 29, demanding reservation for the Marathas and immediate issuance of Kunbi certificates on the basis of gazette records, among other things. He has also threatened to take the agitation to Mumbai.”I am drinking water and taking saline, but I will not withdraw the fast until our demands are fulfilled,” he said, adding that he agreed to the treatment at Lad’s request.Fasting Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange sets September 12 deadline over Mumbai protests, CM Fadnavis reactsHe, however, criticised the BJP-led state government, claiming that the Maratha reservation has been caught in a battle over political credit between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.He also criticised Water Resources Minister and Maratha leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who had been involved in efforts to mediate.”We trusted Vikhe Patil, but he is making a fool of us,” Jarange alleged, asking why he had not come for discussions.He would not end his fast until the cancelled Kunbi caste certificates of Marathas were not restored, he said.Jarange has been seeking Kunbi certificates for Marathas so that they could get reservation in the OBC category. Kunbi, an agrarian community, is categorised among Other Backward Classes in Maharashtra.Earlier in the day, doctors expressed concerns over the activist’s deteriorating health, and the Jalna district collector Ashima Mittal appealed to him to end his fast.Jarange’s blood sugar level had dropped, a medical officer said.The activist has claimed that 58 lakh records establishing genealogical links between Marathas and Kunbis have been found but the government was trying to reduce the figure.Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the government is open to discussing constitutionally valid and legally viable demands, and not those violative of the Supreme Court’s orders.

Source: Deccan Herald