India, Sept. 13 -- A fortnight into his indefinite hunger strike to press for Maratha reservations, quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has announced that he will go ahead with his march to Mumbai and continue his agitation at Azad Maidan from September 19. Calling it a "final and decisive" battle, he said lakhs of people would reach Azad Maidan for a peaceful protest - for the second time in just over a year.

Making the announcement in his village Antarwali Sarati on Saturday, Jarange-Patil has timed his Mumbai protest to coincide with the Ganesh festival. His decision has the government on tenterhooks as memories of last year's agitation are still fresh - 25,000 Maratha protestors had poured into the city in August, disrupting life in p...