Mumbai, Aug 12 (PTI) OBC leader Laxman Hake on Tuesday alleged that Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange was responsible for violence that erupted in Beed in 2023 and intended to create similar unrest in Mumbai during the upcoming Ganesh festival.
Mobs had attacked residential houses and offices of two MLAs in Beed city in October 2023 and torched them during the Maratha quota agitations.
“Jarange burnt Beed city and now wants to do the same in Mumbai. The date he has chosen for his march coincides with the Ganesh festival. His only agenda is to reach Mumbai during the festival and cause riots,” Hake told reporters.
Speaking to reporters in Jalna, Jarange said a Ganpati procession would be taken to Mumbai on August 27.
“No one can stop us…Mumbai is ours, so is the sea and the culture. This procession will be unprecedented, and on August 29, we will celebrate victory,” he said.
Hake appealed to the Maharashtra Home Department to take note of intelligence reports on Jarange’s planned August 29 march to Mumbai and to stop him from entering the city.
“Let him protest or fast in Antarwali in Jalna district, but prevent any attempt to disturb the festive atmosphere in the state,” Hake said, adding that he had also conveyed this request to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
He further alleged that the plan to disrupt peace in Maharashtra was jointly conceived by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Jarange, warning that the OBC community would respond if the administration yielded to “mobocracy”.
Hake demanded that a case be registered against Jarange for his “provocative” statements and that he be jailed.
“Why is he being indulged despite making illegal demands? He should also study Hindi before making such remarks,” the OBC leader added.
Jarange has announced that he will lead a massive rally in Mumbai on August 29 to press for the Maratha quota, vowing not to leave the city until the demand is met.
The protest date falls on the third day of Ganeshotsav, a period when Mumbai already witnesses large gatherings, raising concerns over traffic congestion and law-and-order issues. PTI ND NSK
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