Jalna, Dec 29 (IANS): The Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil warned that at least three crore (30-million) Marathas will lay siege to Mumbai from January 20 onwards to press for the reservation to the community, here on Friday.

“From January 20, people will leave their towns and villages all over Maharashtra… They will come on foot, in buses, big and small vehicles or tractors. It will be a peaceful march, nobody will carry stones or resort to violence,” said Jarange-Patil, talking to the media.

He called upon his supporters to reach the country’s commercial capital with any suitable mode of transport without any fear for the cause, and “don’t worry, your vehicles will not be seized”.

Jarange-Patil will also start on foot from his village Antarvali-Sarati in Jalna to Mumbai, a distance of around 400 kms, with lakhs expected to join him en route, accorded a massive welcome at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, where he will sit on an indefinite hunger strike.

To a query, he said if the marchers or their vehicles are stopped anywhere, “then thousands of Marathas will go and surround the Deputy Chief Minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis’ homes in Mumbai and Nagpur”.

On which ground he would address the gathering in Mumbai, Jarange-Patil shot back saying that “we will need to occupy all the grounds and maidans” as three-crore Marathas are expected to troop here from across Maharashtra.

With a population of around 1.50 crore, Mumbai has barely half-a-dozen huge open grounds including Azad Maidan, Oval Maidan, Cross Maidan, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, the BKC grounds, some other venues like Chowpatty and Juhu beaches, and a few more small grounds that are used for such public events.

“The aim is reservations, the direction is Mumbai… We are going to Mumbai means we are going there… There’s no stopping now. And we will come back with the quotas,” said Jarange-Patil in his typical soft speaking style.

He called upon all his supporters and Marathas “to bury all differences and start from your homes” all over the state to show the community’s strength and unity to the government.

Jarange-Patil, who has been agitating since August, said that they had given sufficient time to the state government to declare the quotas, and “now, we will not give even one hour extra”, urging the government to take a decision soon.

He was referring to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s statement in the Legislative Assembly last week that the government would convene a special session of the Legislature in February 2024 and announce the reservation, but the Marathas have spurned the proposal.

Jarange-Patil repeated his demand that the eligible Marathas should be given Kunbi Caste (OBC) certificates to entitle them to OBC quotas, and vowed to fight till his last breath to get the reservation for the community.