As politicians skirt it, Ground Zero of Maratha protest nurses demand, waits for word

At the entrance to this village in central Maharashtra’s Jalna district, a pandal has been standing now for seven months. In the middle of it is a prominent bronze bust of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj; behind it, a board that says ‘Amaran Uposhan (Fast Unto Death)’ with a date: 29/8/2023.

But to villagers in these parts, and politicians seeking their votes in the climbing heat, the tent is a stark reminder – of the 17 days of protest held here by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil; and of the disquiet over a half-met promise.

Days to go for voting on April 26, no politician has come calling to the village. In the afternoon, village children use the pandal as a welcome, shaded playground. But every night, it transforms into Ground Zero of the reservation agitation as villagers, young and old, gather and keep spirits up singing devotional songs.

Jarange Patil is not in Antarwali Sarathi, his native village, and there is talk that he is touring the state, campaigning against the BJP, whose Mahayuti government managed to buy peace with the passage of a Bill granting 10% reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community.

However, no one in the village, with about 25-30% of the population Marathas, seems to clearly know Jarange Patil’s whereabouts.

In his absence, Shivaji Savram Tarak says, the pandal will do. “Our demand for reservation and our protest are not over. Due to the code of conduct (for the polls), we have kept them aside. A mammoth rally is planned on June 8 in the neighbourhood.”

At the same time, the villagers insist, their protest or Jarange Patil’s is not linked to the elections. And that no directive has been issued regarding how the villagers should vote.

The non-Marathas in Antarwali Sarathi attest