MUMBAI, Sept. 18 -- On the 20th day of his indefinite hunger strike, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil called off his protest on Thursday, after the Maharashtra government assured him of a time-bound implementation of his remaining demands. A high-level government delegation led by state water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil assured the quota activist that his demands would be addressed within three months and urged him to call off his agitation. Jarange-Patil, who has been demanding OBC benefits for Marathas who can prove Kunbi lineage, warned that he would not hesitate to march to Mumbai if the government went back on its word. After the government agreed to 12 of his 13 demands, the quota activist had raised five issues concerning their implementation. He is insisting on implementation of the Satara, Kolhapur, Pune and Aundh Gazetteers to facilitate the issuance of Kunbi certificates to Marathas; changes to the government resolution relating to the Hyderabad Gazetteer, against to facilitate issuance of these certificates; issuance of caste validity certificates; issuance of certificates on the basis of all the 5.8 million Kunbi records collated by the government; and validation of certificates issued to four elected representatives. Jarange-Patil launched his 11th indefinite hunger strike on August 29 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, presenting 13 demands to the state government. He said if the authorities did not accept them, he would march to Mumbai with lakhs of supporters, to protest at Azad Maidan from September 19. His decision had alarmed the government, given the ongoing Gangpati celebrations and their potential disruption. A delegation led by Vikhe-Patil and comprising school education minister Dadaji Bhuse and BJP legislators Prasad Lad and Suresh Dhas met Jarange-Patil on Thursday morning. "I am suspending my hunger strike, but the agitation will continue. We are giving the government a final chance. If the assurances are not fulfilled within the given period, we will head to Mumbai," he said. "We want an assurance that certificates will be issued against all 5.8 million Kunbi records and that there will be no reduction in the number of records. The agitation and the fight for reservation will not stop until we succeed. One should realise that leaders who refused to hold discussions have now come for dialogue. The dignity of the community is more important than reservation," he said, during the meeting with the committee. Jarange-Patil, however, insisted that the assurance come from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis either through video conferencing or a statement to the media. Fadnavis subsequently said the government had accepted 12 of the activist's 13 demands, while legal difficulties persisted with one of them. "We have already taken the decisions and administrative issues concerning their implementation persist, which will be resolved. The government has always maintained a positive approach and its doors remain open. I am happy that the hunger strike has been suspended without disrupting any festival," Fadnavis said. Vikhe-Patil, who also heads the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Maratha Reservation, said issuing a government resolution to implement the Satara, Kolhapur and gazetteers other former princely states could take three to four months. "The gazetteers run into more than 1,600 pages and may take more time to finalise the proposal," he said. "He had been demanding caste certificates based on self-declaration by applicants for Kunbi certificates and the dismantling of caste validity committees. We have not accepted these demands as they are illegal," said a senior government leader. The government had held two rounds of discussions through the Vikhe-Patil committee during the first ten days of the current agitation, but subsequently adopted a firm stand and decided against holding further talks. On Wednesday, however, the government softened its position and sent the Vikhe-Patil-led delegation to meet Jarange-Patil....