Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), met Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Friday, as his indefinite hunger strike entered its 14th day. The former warned the Maharashtra government against forcibly removing him from the protest site.

Dipke criticised the government’s move, saying people from across Maharashtra would converge at the scene if any harm had been caused to Patil. He also challenged the government to try what the Delhi Police had done with activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been forcibly removed from his hunger strike site at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil on a hunger strike

Dipke asserted, “This is Maharashtra, and such a thing will not be tolerated here at all. If he is touched, the entire Maharashtra will come here.”

“Why is Patil still on hunger strike?”

Patil has been staging an indefinite hunger strike since August 29 at Antarwali Sarati in Jalna district, pressing for 15 demands related to Maratha reservation.

He has also announced plans to march to Mumbai to press the government to fulfil his demands. He is set to meet representatives of the Maratha community on Saturday to decide the date of the proposed march.

After calling upon Patil, Dipke alleged that the government had still not made adequate efforts to inquire about his health or engage in talks with him. Dipke asked, “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. The government is not ready to speak with Manoj Jarange Patil. Does the government intend to leave social workers like him to die?”

“Govt has failed to provide opportunities, says Dipke

Further in his attack on the government, Dipke said Patil was fighting for better education and employment opportunities for members of the Maratha community. He argued that had the government provided adequate educational facilities and employment opportunities, Patil would not have been forced to undertake a hunger strike.

He said while slamming the government, “This is your failure. You have left the people to fend for themselves. If the government had done its job and provided the necessary facilities, Patil would not have had to go on hunger strike.”

He also launched a verbal attack on the government over what he called the lack of adequate employment opportunities and questioned the functioning of government schools in rural Maharashtra.

He said, “I challenge the government to name a single district in Maharashtra where government schools in rural areas are functioning well and where there are sufficient employment opportunities.”

Dipke issues warning over any forced removal

Drawing a parallel with the action taken against Sonam Wangchuk, Dipke pleaded with the government not to try to forcibly remove Patil from his protest site. He claimed that Delhi Police’s action against Wangchuk had galvanised a student protest over alleged examination irregularities at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and eventually contributed to political fiascos, including the resignation of the then-Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July 2026.

He also warned the Maharashtra government that it would have to face the consequences if it tried to remove Patil forcibly. He urged the authorities to initiate a dialogue with the Maratha activist, hear his demands and seek a resolution rather than allowing the situation to escalate.