Manoj Jarange-Patil calls off hunger strike, accuses Fadnavis of trying to frame him

Amid deteriorating health, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on July 24 called off his hunger fast while granting the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government time till August 13 to fulfil his demands of granting reservation to the community under the Other Backward Class category. Mr. Jarange-Patil, who had commenced yet another hunger strike in Maharashtra’s Jalna district since July 20, chastised Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis, accusing Mr. Fadnavis of conspiring against him and being the prime mover behind a non-bailable warrant issued by a Pune court against the activist. Mr. Jarange-Patil further alleged that Mr. Fadnavis was instigating a plot to “get him killed in jail” – a remark which drew derision from the BJP which alleged that the activist had “lost his mental balance.” A Pune court on July 23 had issued an NBW against Mr. Jarange-Patil in connection with an alleged cheating case in 2013 after he failed to appear before the court. If the courts and police are bowing before pressure exerted by Mr. Fadnavis, I will not respond to such a warrant,” Mr. Jarange-Patil said, claiming he had never defrauded anybody nor had done any wrong.