MUMBAI, Aug. 29 -- Ahead of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil's rally at Azad Maidan on Friday after Mumbai police granted him and his supporters permission on Wednesday, the activist censured the government's diktat of allowing the protest for a day - between 9 am and 6 pm - with no more than 5000 people. He termed it "an insult to poor Marathas", and threatened an indefinite hunger strike. This is the activist's ninth protest over nearly two years when he has been pushing for reservation for the Maratha community in the OBC quota based on the Kunbi certificates issued to community members. Earlier in the day, nearly 10,000 supporters from the Maratha community joined Jarange-Patil at the Shivneri fort in Pune where he paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The activist and his supporters embarked on the march from Antarwali Sarathi village, Jalna district, on Wednesday morning. HT has learnt from Mumbai police that nearly 40,000 supporters, including those from Navi Mumbai and Thane, will arrive in the city on two- and four-wheelers on Friday. "I request chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to lift the restriction of allowing 5000 people and extend the permission given for a day. By giving permission for a day, the CM has mocked poor Marathas. It is an insult to us. If they want us to wind up our protest in one day, they should concede our demands in one day as well. The CM should remember that if the government cheats us, his political career will be over," the activist said in a press meet in Pune. Manoj Shembde Patil, one of the participants in the march, drew attention to at least 30 kilometers of the road between Pune and Mumbai being filled with "vehicles full of protestors, while connecting roads from the districts have a similar line of vehicles". "People are waiting for hours to greet Jarange-Patil," he said. Virendra Pawar, coordinator of the Mumbai wing of Sakal Maratha Samaj, said the team is seeking fresh permission from the police for an extension of the time allocated to them for the protest. "We are resolute about the indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan and have requested the police for permission as per the new rules that came into force on August 26. We have made all arrangements for the strike beginning from Friday. The stage is being erected, though the protesters will have to face inconvenience of working in wet soil across the 7000-sq meter part of the Azad Maidan (earmarked for protests by any organisation)," he said. The activist said he was ready to hold talks with the state government and had conceded to a meeting with state water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil last week, "but he did not turn up for the meeting". Vikhe Patil, who also heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservation, said although the meeting did not take place due to a miscommunication, "we are positive about the dialogue; and since he is intent on coming to Mumbai, we will hold a dialogue here". He added, "The decision (on the reservation) will be taken after speaking to the members of the sub-committee. Jarange-Patil has been demanding Kunbi certificates by referring to the Hyderabad Gazette during the Nizam's rule. The committee under retired justice Sandeep Shinde has collated information and is studying the rules to avoid complexities." The cabinet sub-committee, headed by Vikhe Patil, is expected to meet Jarange-Patil on Friday at the Azad Maidan. The quota activist shot into fame when he sat on a hunger strike in September 2023 at Antarwali Sarathi village demanding blanket reservation for Marathas bearing Kunbi certificates under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. As the stir gained momentum, over eight lakh Kunbi certificates were issued to Marathas, enabling them and their families to benefit from the OBC quota. In the midst of his visits to his party colleagues' residences on the occasion of Ganeshotsav, Fadnavis clarified that the "state government is positive about solving the issues of the Marathas if they are social and financial in nature and not related to political reservation". "Marathas have been demanding reservation from the OBC quota, where over 350 castes are already accommodated. The quota given in the medical admissions this year is an indicator that the cut off for OBC was higher than the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), which in turn was higher than those belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)," he said. "Some leaders and their parties are deliberately fanning the agitation for political gains."...