MUMBAI, Oct. 3 -- Barely a month after his massive agitation in Mumbai for Maratha reservation, Manoj Jarange-Patil, in his Dussehra rally at Narayangad, took up the cause of farmers who had suffered on account of the recent heavy rains. The activist put up eight demands before the state government, including an official announcement of a wet drought, a complete loan waiver for farmers and compensation of Rs.70,000 to Rs.1.30 lakh a hectare for those whose crops had been damaged. Jarange-Patil also demanded government jobs for the heirs of farmers who had died by suicide, a minimum support price for crops, relaxation in the conditions for crop insurance, and government-employee status for farmers with landholdings of less than 10 acres, accompanied by a monthly remuneration of Rs 10,000. He threatened that if his ultimatum was not met by Diwali, he would convene a farmers' meeting and announce the date for a fresh agitation. The Maratha activist also appealed to his community members to not ill-treat OBCs just because their leaders were talking against Maratha quota. While opposing the government's decision to levy Rs.15 per tonne on crushed sugarcane for flood-affected farmers' relief, Jarange-Patil said that money should be taken from wealthy people instead. "The government should identify 1,000 politicians, including Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray and Nana Patole and collect Rs.1 crore each from them," he said. "Shahrukh Khan and BJP leader Mohit Kamboj too should donate a bit from their wealth." Another measure suggested was that 25% of government employees' salaries should be cut. Jarange-Patil warned of protests during civic polls, threatening to block EVMs and ruling party campaigns if demands were ignored. He withdrew his Mumbai strike after the government agreed to implement the Hyderabad Gazette, enabling Marathas to secure Kunbi certificates for OBC quota inclusion. Urging Marathas to apply before Diwali using surname-based affidavits, he said the certificates would establish lineage....