In a huge relief for the Maharashtra government, Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil on Thursday called off his rigorous fast unto death after successful negotiations with a delegation of two retired Bombay High Court judges and a group of Cabinet Ministers.
Jarange-Patil also agreed to give a fresh ultimatum of two months – till January 2, 2024 – to the Maharashtra government to fulfil the demands for Maratha quotas, as sought by the high-power delegation.
After the announcement, he accepted some water and a glass of fruit juice from the delegation, symbolising the end of his rigorous nine-day long hunger strike that had put the government on edge.
He warned that this will be the "absolute final deadline" for quotas and if the state government failed to honour its commitment then Marathas from all over the state will march to Mumbai and lay siege to the country’s commercial capital.
Jarange-Patil’s announcement was greeted with huge rounds of applause by the delegation, thousands of villagers, and media persons assembled in Antarvali-Sarati village and the tense atmosphere of the past 9 days suddenly melted into bonhomie and celebrations, while the state government heaved a massive sigh of relief.