New Delhi: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday accused Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of scheming to disrupt the community's protests for government job and education reservations. Addressing a gathering in Antarwali Sarati village, Jarange claimed Fadnavis was orchestrating efforts to discredit him and sabotage the movement.
“When the lathi-charge happened during protests in Jalna last year, Fadnavis had to apologise. This hurt him deeply, so he is trying to sabotage the Maratha quota protest,” PTI quoted the activist as saying. He also claimed that the state government was run by Fadnavis, not Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Furthermore, he alleged that Fadnavis is resorting to intimidation tactics against the Maratha community, warning of potential consequences for such actions, reported PTI.
Jarange declared on Sunday to march to Mumbai and stage a protest outside the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, whom he accused of trying to kill him. Jarange's unexpected announcement came at the conclusion of a speech lasting over an hour in Antarwali Sarati, Jalna, during which he levied several allegations against Fadnavis, reported PTI.
When questioned about Jarange's remarks later, Fadnavis responded by stating that he had not heard what was said. He alleged that certain individuals were being coerced and tempted into making false accusations against him, attributing these actions to Fadnavis. Jarange continued to assert his claims, declaring, "He wants to kill me. I am ready to march to Sagar bungalow (Fadnavis' official residence in Mumbai's Malabar Hill) right away." The announcement prompted chaos at the location, where the activist's supporters had assembled in large numbers.
"Would march to Mumbai alone and all I needed was a stick for support", said Jarange, as per PTI.
“Unfortunately, some Maratha leaders in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were helping Fadnavis defame me", he added.
Later, Jarange warned to begin a protest at Sagar bungalow, the official residence of Fadnavis in Mumbai. “If I die, place my body in front of his house,” Jarange remarked as per PTI.
Maratha Reservation Bill
Earlier this week, the Maharashtra legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10% reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. However, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange remains resolute in his demand for reservation under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, as per PTI.
Notably, Jarange is advocating for the implementation of a draft notification concerning 'blood relatives' of Kunbi Marathas and has called for non-violent road blockades across the state starting from Saturday.
On the other hand, the bill states that a substantial number of castes and groups are already placed in the reserved category, getting about 52 per cent of reservations altogether. It would be completely inequitable to place the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category.