Beed, Oct 27 (PTI) Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde extended her support to quota activist Manoj Jarange, appealing that the Maratha and Other Backward Classes communities unite and resolve their differences.
Speaking at a BJP event in Parli, Beed district, on Sunday, Munde said the statements she made during the Lok Sabha elections last year were “misinterpreted” and that she has never spoken against Jarange.
In the presence of Jarange at the event, she called for friendship and unity between the Marathas and OBCs communities, urging both sides to bridge the growing social divide.
“I have not spoken against Manoj Jarange. My Lok Sabha election speech was misinterpreted. If he undertakes another hunger strike, I am ready to visit him as a guardian minister. But I will not act beyond the framework of the law,” said Munde, who belongs to the OBC community.
She said that her father, the late Gopinath Munde, embodied an inclusive and people-oriented personality, and she wishes to live by his example.
“Even if someone belongs to my community, I will not support their wrong stance,” she said.
On September 2, the Maharashtra government issued a government resolution (GR) on implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer, which will allow eligible members of the Maratha community to apply for Kunbi caste certificates. This will enable the Marathas to claim quota in education and government jobs under the OBC category.
The GR was issued after Jarange staged a hunger strike in Mumbai for five days from August 29.
However, the decision triggered restlessness among the OBC community leaders. PTI COR ARU
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