Mumbai: Maratha Reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil emphasized on Thursday that their rally towards Mumbai would be peaceful, but they wouldn't return from the state capital without securing reservation. Patil stated, "We will go towards Mumbai peacefully, but we will not come back without reservation." He urged Maratha people from across Maharashtra to gather in Mumbai, emphasizing the need for everyone to become a volunteer to support their cause. Patil stressed the demand for the government to immediately provide a Kunbi certificate to all 54 lakhs whose Kunbi identity has been verified.

Highlighting the peaceful nature of their agitation, Patil promised that it would continue until every person in the Maratha community secures reservation. He declared, "This agitation will not halt till the last person in the Maratha community gets reservation." Earlier in the day, a representative of the Maharashtra government, Marathwada Divisional Commissioner Madhukar Ardhal, held a meeting with Manoj Jarange Patil in Pune's Lonavala. Heavy security measures were taken at entry and exit points of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Lonavala, as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil led a march demanding immediate implementation of the Maratha reservation.

Maratha reservation supporters sought to travel towards Mumbai via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, but the police directed them to use the old Pune-Mumbai highway. The renewed Maratha reservation protests in Maharashtra come as the Supreme Court is set to hear a curative petition filed by the Maharashtra government challenging its May 5, 2021 judgment, which declared the Maratha reservation law unconstitutional. The court's decision on the curative petition will be crucial, as it represents the last opportunity after the dismissal of the review petition.

Manoj Jarange Patil emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "We don't have any other option than to go to Mumbai." He conveyed that on January 25 and 26, Mumbai would witness a significant gathering of Maratha people, and they were determined not to retreat without securing reservations. The Supreme Court's stance and the government's response will play a pivotal role in determining the course of the Maratha reservation issue in Maharashtra.

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