Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Dipke on Friday visited Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil at his protest site in Jalna, as the latter's indefinite hunger strike entered its 14th day. Dipke urged the Maharashtra government to open talks with Patil and warned that any attempt to forcibly remove him from the protest site could trigger a strong response across the state.
Dipke also drew a comparison with the handling of Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike in Delhi, challenging the Maharashtra government to consider the consequences of taking similar action against Patil.
Jarange Patil has been on an indefinite hunger strike since August 29 at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district. He is seeking action on 15 demands linked to Maratha reservation.
Patil has also announced plans to march towards Mumbai as part of the agitation. A meeting with representatives of the Maratha community is scheduled for Saturday, when a date for the proposed Mumbai march is expected to be discussed.
After meeting Patil, Dipke questioned why senior government representatives had not met the activist despite the protest continuing for two weeks.
He said, "My request to the government is that 14 days have already passed. In Delhi, Sonam Wangchuk was kept fasting for 26 days. Do you want to do the same with Manoj Sir? Are you going to keep him hungry for 26 days as well?"
"Why is it taking so much time? What's stopping you from coming here and talking? A person has been fasting for his community for 14 days. What would you lose if government representatives, the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister came and met him? You have time to meet comedians. You invite comedians to your office and serve them biscuits," he added.
Dipke, who is from neighbouring Hingoli district, also questioned the government's response to Patil's health and the prolonged protest.
"It is difficult to understand what is happening in our state and country. The people who have been elected meet everyone except the people who elected them. Does the government intend to leave social workers like him to die?" he said following his meeting with the activist.
Dipke argued that the reservation agitation was rooted in concerns over education and employment opportunities for the Maratha community. He blamed the state government for failing to address those issues.
"This is your failure. You have left the people to fend for themselves," he said, as per the reports.
Dipke also referred to the recent handling of Sonam Wangchuk's protest in Delhi, warning the Maharashtra government against attempting a similar course of action with Patil.
"This is Maharashtra, and such a thing will not be tolerated here at all. If he is touched, the entire Maharashtra will come here," he said.
Dipke urged the government to engage directly with Patil and discuss his demands rather than allowing the hunger strike to continue without a dialogue.
