Maratha Quota Activist Calls For Special Assembly Session As He Rebukes Fadnavis Over 'Brahmin' Remark

Manoj Jarange slammed Maharashtra Deputy CM Fadnavis for allegedly telling a news channel that he was a soft target because he was a 'Brahmin' and that he could do nothing to change his caste.

File Photos: Maratha Quota Activist Manoj Jarange And Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday slammed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for a reported comment to a news channel in which he referred to himself as a "soft target" because of his Brahmin caste and stated that he could not change his caste. Jarange has been on a hunger strike in Antarwali Sarati since October 25 to advocate for Maratha quota rights.

"If he can't change his caste, we Marathas cannot change ours either. He is committing mistakes, and that is why he is being targeted. Fadnavis should refrain from discussing caste issues," Jarange was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Jarange stated that the community had previously forgiven Fadnavis after he "apologised" on September 1 for police actions against quota activists, as reported by PTI. He then urged Fadnavis to call a special session of the Maharashtra Legislature to pass a law providing Marathas with quota benefits, a move he believed would earn Fadnavis the community's respect, the report said. 

Jarange also chastised Atul Save, Jalna's guardian minister and a BJP leader, for taking an "anti-Maratha stance." He praised Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Prakash Ambedkar, on the other hand, for their support of the quota cause, PTI reported. 

'I Think They Should Trust CM': Fadnavis 

Responding to the health condition of activist Manoj Jarange, Fadnavis said: "We are always on alert, no separate alert has been given, but we are careful because big cities like Mumbai and Pune are in Maharashtra. We have to constantly take care that no wrong activities take place. Our efforts are going on in that direction," ANI quoted him as saying. 

#WATCH | On Kerala blasts, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "We are always on alert, no separate alert has been given, but we are careful because big cities like Mumbai and Pune are in Maharashtra. We have to constantly take care that no wrong activities take place.… pic.twitter.com/GYNwEss5xt

— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2023

'Don't Play With Jarange's Life': Uddhav 

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the Maratha and Dhangar communities must be given reservations in jobs and education without impacting such benefits of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, news agency PTI reported. 

Concerned about the well-being of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, who has been on a hunger strike in Jalna since October 25, Thackeray emphasised the importance of providing reservations to the Maratha community without jeopardising social harmony.

Thackeray accused the state government of being insensitive to Jarange's life and criticised its communication, saying, "The state government is speaking 'mann ki baat' while its'mann' has no emotions." It has no intention of rescuing Jarange," as reported by PTI. 

Jarange began a fast on August 29 but ended it on September 14 after receiving assurances from the state government about efforts to secure reservation for the Maratha community. However, when Jarange's October 24 deadline for the implementation of such quotas passed, he resumed his hunger strike the day after Dussehra.