Mumbai, Sep 16: In a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Wednesday highlighted the persistent failure of basic healthcare and transport infrastructure in the state’s remote tribal belts.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, accused the administration of blowing the trumpet of “rapid development” while neglecting fundamental amenities in regions like Nandurbar and Gadchiroli.

​”Maharashtra’s rulers beat their drums about reforms day in and day out, yet this progress has failed to reach the state’s remote tribal areas. The struggle and long treks of poor tribals for medical treatment continue unabated,” the editorial stated, pointing to a critical shortage of basic roads, emergency ambulances, hearse vehicles, healthcare staff, and essential medicines across rural belts. ​

The editorial cited two harrowing recent incidents to underline the human cost of the administrative lapses. “In Vehgi-Baripada from the tribal dominated Nandurbar district, a pregnant woman, Phulwanti Devram Padvi, was forced to trek seven kms late at night on a makeshift bamboo-and-cloth stretcher (jholi) due to the complete absence of roads and river bridges. After delivering her child at the Pimpalkhuta health centre, she and her newborn had to be carried back another seven kms on the same stretcher,” it said.

​In another incident, grieving parents in the remote Gadchiroli district were forced to walk 15 kms carrying the bodies of their two deceased children on their shoulders because no ambulance or hearse van was provided by local authorities, the editorial mentioned. ​

The editorial further brought attention to recurring structural issues in tribal districts, including school children forced to cross rivers via rope bridges, snakebite deaths among young girls sleeping on hostel floors due to a lack of beds, and persistent child malnutrition deaths in areas like Melghat. ​

Referencing a strong rebuke from the Bombay High Court, which previously observed that “child malnutrition among tribals is not an isolated problem, but a failure of government machinery,” the Thackeray camp alleged that the state administration remained “dangerously lethargic and unresponsive to judicial warnings”. ​

Taking aim at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over recent claims of introducing “smart” and “digital” healthcare services, the editorial urged the state to fix ground-level realities before promoting high-tech reforms.

​”Before flying the kite of ‘digital and smart healthcare’, the state government must first halt the daily struggles, build basic roads, and ensure emergency transportation for tribal communities,” the editorial concluded.

Patoda/Beed, Sep 16: In a dramatic turn of events, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil addressed a massive gathering at Patoda in Maharashtra’s Beed district at 2:00 a.m., warning that severe physical exhaustion might force him to cancel his onward march to Mumbai.

Entering the 18th day of his hunger strike, Jarange Patil stated that if supporters continue to convoy behind him, he will halt his journey and resume his sit-in strike locally or return to Antarwali Sarati.

Despite arriving at the venue around 1:30 a.m., thousands of Maratha community members, including women, waited through the night to hear him speak.

Addressing the crowd with visible physical frailty, Jarange Patil declared that he could barely move his limbs after stopping IV fluids on September 12. “Fighting for the children of my community has taken a toll on my body, but I have taken on the government for you. The government wants me to surrender, but should I abandon our demand? My community is greater than any government – it is my father. My community holds the power to bring down any government and install a new one,” he asserted.

Jarange Patil highlighted the movement’s progress, noting that 58 lakh archival records (nondi) have been uncovered, paving the way for nearly 2.5 crore community members to access reservation benefits. He emphasised that the current push is to secure the official government gazette.

He also launched a direct attack on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, claiming he has countered political manoeuvres step-by-step and alleging that all documented records have been safely secured on pen drives.

He went further to accuse CM Fadnavis of “plotting against his life”.

Responding to the argument regarding fruit-orchard owners in Western Maharashtra, he questioned, “The government claims Western Maharashtra has fruit orchards, but don’t OBC communities own orchards too? Why do they have a reservation then?”

Jarange Patil stated that holding a rally tour during an indefinite fast is unsustainable. He asked supporters not to follow his vehicle out of Patoda, urging them to directly meet at Khopoli instead, or risk him returning to Antarwali or resuming his fast in Patoda from Beed district.

In a message to his family, Jarange Patil said, “I have told my family to live with self-respect. I told my son to step up courageously if I give my life for the community. Let one life be sacrificed for the cause, but never let the dignity of our caste be lowered.”

Expressing his intent to communicate directly with the police, he stated he would prefer to travel straight to Mumbai from Patoda without a massive public entourage, provided his physical condition permits.

Mumbai: Manoj Jarange’s hunger strike for Maratha reservation has entered its 18th day, and he is marching towards Mumbai with his convoy; however, the Mumbai Police have refused to grant permission for the hunger strike and have rejected his application. The Maratha Morcha had sought permission to hold the hunger strike at Mumbai Azad Maidan starting September 19. Although Manoj Jarange-Patil has set out for Mumbai with his convoy, the police have denied permission for the protest.
Explaining the reasons for the refusal and the rejection of the application, the Mumbai Police stated that the Maratha community had previously organized a protest at Azad Maidan where they continued the demonstration even after the permitted timeframe had expired. This caused significant inconvenience to Mumbai’s citizens and paralyzed normal public life, leading to traffic and law-and-order issues. Furthermore, 13 FIRs were registered in the Azad Maidan area during that protest, as rules and regulations had been violated. Rejecting Manoj Jarange-Patil’s application, the police stated that the Ganesh Utsav festival is currently underway in Mumbai (from September 14 to 26), drawing large crowds of devotees; a Maratha reservation rally would attract further crowds, raising concerns about the disruption of civic order. The police cited potential law-and-order issues and inconvenience to citizens amidst the congestion as grounds for the rejection. They further noted that while Azad Maidan has a capacity for 5,000 protesters, the call has gone out to hundreds of thousands—or even millions—to attend, creating a significant risk of disorder and traffic disruption. Despite the Mumbai Police’s categorical refusal to grant permission, Manoj Jarange-Patil remains adamant in his stance and has already departed from Jalna with his convoy.