MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil sat in a field under the scorching sun on Saturday, launching his indefinite hunger strike to push the state government to meet his demands on reservations for the Maratha community. The activist is protesting in Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district.Jarange-Patil begins indefinite hunger strike, another round of talks failsWithin hours, state water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil arrived in the village to urge Jarange-Patil to call off his protest. The minister also sought more time for the government to implement key demands.On Saturday, Vikhe-Patil, who also heads the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha reservations, gave Jarange-Patil a draft of the action the government has initiated on his charter of demands. But it wasn’t enough.Tired of assurances and delays in keeping promises made during his indefinite hunger strike in Mumbai last year, Jarange-Patil has gone ahead with his protest.Among his key demands are implementation of the Hyderabad Gazetteer (1909) and the Satara Gazetteer, to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas under the OBC category. He is also demanding a dedicated ministry for Marathas on the lines of the OBC welfare department; and the issuance of caste validity certificates recognising eligible Marathas as Kunbi, among other measures.On Saturday, Vikhe-Patil sat with Jarange-Patil and persuaded him to move under a shelter, for the time being, at least. But the activist wouldn’t budge. The minister said the government has accepted most of his demands, adding that a government resolution on implementing the Satara Gazetteer could cause legal complications.The draft presented by Vikhe-Patil outlines the government’s response to each of the activist’s 14 demands. Among the key assurances, the government said 58 million Kunbi records, have been uploaded on the websites of district collectors. On the demand for issuing caste certificates based on the Hyderabad Gazetteer, the divisional commissioner of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has prepared SOPs, under which district collectors have been tasked with issuing certificates after conducting house-to-house surveys and workshops over the next three months.Jarange-Patil said he would discuss the draft with experts and scholars from the Maratha community and take a decision, accordingly. He also said a mere draft would not suffice. “We will accept the draft, but the government must issue direct orders to officials. The problem is that official drafts often fail to convert into execution. Our primary demand is that 5.8 lakh people must be given Kunbi certificates along with caste validity,” said the activist on Saturday.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Mahayuti government has taken the highest number of decisions in the interest of the Maratha community so far. “I would like to reiterate that the decisions taken by me and Eknath Shinde (former chief minister) for the Maratha community are unprecedented in Maharashtra’s history. We will continue to take decisions in the interest of the community while adhering to the principles of the constitution and the directives issued by the Supreme Court and high courts,” Fadnavis stressed.Meanwhile, Jarange-Patil is receiving support from Marathas the community. In Kolhapur, members of the Sakal Maratha Samaj staged a demonstration to express solidarity. Shrimant Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj II, great-grandson of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, and Congress Kolhapur MP also extended their support to Jarange-Patil’s protest.The OBC community, however, is opposing any move that could potentially harm their interests. Laxman Hake, an OBC activist, said, “If Jarange-Patil’s agitation continues and if reservations that rightfully belong to the OBC community are taken away, then from tomorrow (Sunday), we will begin an aggressive agitation on behalf of all our OBC brethren,” Hake said on Saturday.Dr Baban Taywade, national president of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, said, “As soon as we believe the government is acting against the interests of OBC reservation, we will take to the streets and fight for our constitutional rights.”