Mumbai braces for Massive Rally

Maratha Reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil said on Thursday that their rally towards Mumbai will be peaceful, even as the Mumbai Police has reportedly deined permission to hold a protest at Azad Maidan on January 26. Patil is expected to address a crowd and lead a march towards Azad Maidan with his supporters. The administration has instead asked him to move the protest to the International Corporate Park in Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar to avoid traffic congestion in Mumbai.

Patil meanwhile said they will not return from the state capital without reservation.
Social media is flooded with photos of massive crowds at the rally which is moving towards Mumbai from Pune. The financial capital is expected to see traffic disruption as the rally enters the city. Mumbai Police has cancelled all the leaves of its personnel for three days.
“We are now left with one last stop, which is at Vashi. After Vashi, we will go towards Mumbai peacefully, but we will not come back without reservation. From today on, our number will increase and all the Maratha people from all over Maharashtra will gather in Mumbai. The people of Mumbai are also with us,” said Patil.

“Everyone has to take on the responsibility of becoming a volunteer starting today. Everyone has to keep an eye on their nearby locations. If they see anything wrong, they should immediately inform the police. Our demand is that the government must immediately give a Kunbi certificate to all 54 lakhs whose proof of being Kunabi has been found till now,” he added.

The Maratha Reservation activist further said that their agitation has been very peaceful and he promised that this would continue to be peaceful.
“This agitation will not halt till the last person in the Maratha community gets reservation,” said Patil.

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.

Meanwhile, heavy security deployments were made at both entry and exit points of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at Lonavala ahead of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s Padayatra today, demanding immediate implementation of the Maratha reservation.
Maratha reservation supporters wanted to go towards Mumbai via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway but the police permitted them to travel through the old Pune-Mumbai highway.
Maratha reservation protests reignited in Maharashtra on Friday as Manoj Jarange Patil led a march to Mumbai demanding immediate implementation of the Maratha reservation.

The Supreme Court posted for hearing on January 24 a curative petition filed by the Maharashtra government challenging its May 5, 2021 judgment, which had held the Maratha reservation law unconstitutional.
The curative petition is the last chance available to the people or parties in the case after the review petition is dismissed.

On May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court struck down reservations for the Maratha community in colleges, higher educational institutions, and jobs, after noting that there was no valid ground to breach 50 per cent reservation while granting Maratha reservation. Jarange Patil earlier told ANI that he did not have any option but to march to Mumbai
“We don’t have any other option than to go to Mumbai. Today is the second day of the padayatra. Nearly 15 lakh people joined the padayatra yesterday. We have to ask some of them to go back to avoid inconvenience,” Patil said on Sunday.

Patil also said that on January 25 and 26, Mumbai will be filled with Maratha people and they will not walk back from there without reservations.
“…but one thing is sure, on January 25 evening and January 26, Mumbai will be full of Maratha people and the whole of Mumbai will become Bhagva (saffron). Our community will go in full strength. One thing is sure we will not back from here without taking reservations at whatever cost..we will not take our step back,” Patil said.