Mumbai: After petals were showered on him using JCBs in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s backyard, Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil Tuesday slammed the Shinde-led government for lodging cases against members of the Maratha community in connection with instances of violence, and also for shielding those stoking tensions between Marathas and OBCs — a veiled reference to state minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
Jarange-Patil, the face of the ongoing Maratha quota stir, also questioned the state government’s intent to maintain law and order.
“We are actually protesting peacefully and even appealing for peace but the government is charging us with different cases. So now we have started suspecting whether the government wants to maintain law and order in the state or not,” he said.
The one-time Congress worker is currently on the third leg of his Maharashtra tour and made the remarks during a public rally in Thane, the home turf of CM Shinde.
While the state government has charged Jarange-Patil with holding rallies beyond the 10 pm deadline, it was yet to withdraw cases lodged against members of the Maratha community booked last month in connection with instances of violence.
“Day in and out, we are asking the Maratha community to remain calm. This, in fact, is the work of the government — to maintain law and order; and we are actually doing the government’s job but still fresh cases are lodged against us,” Jarange-Patil said in Thane.
He also attacked the state government for supporting Bhujbal, a minister from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP quota who is addressing rallies organised by OBC community leaders across the state to oppose the distribution of Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas.
“We are working hard to see that there isn’t any animosity between Marathas and OBCs. But you (government) are supporting those who are opposing quota for Marathas. Does this mean that the government wants to incite riots,” asked Jarange-Patil.
Up until now, the Maratha activist had shied away from criticising the chief minister, himself a Maratha.
Shinde was instrumental in persuading Jarange-Patil to withdraw his indefinite hunger strike not once but twice. The chief minister had assured him of the formation of a committee to review the demands of the Marathas and establish their Kunbi ancestry.
The committee, Shinde said, would need time until December.
In his Dussehra speech, Shinde even took an oath in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji to state his commitment to the cause of reservation for Marathas in government jobs and educational institutions.
Jarange-Patil tour
Manoj Jarange-Patil is holding rallies across Maharashtra with an aim to unite the Maratha community over his demand of Kunbi caste certificates, which would allow Marathas to avail of reservation under the OBC quota. His rallies have seen massive turnouts. Even in Thane, youngsters from the Maratha community held a bike rally to welcome the activist.
These rallies are being organised under the banner of Sakal Maratha Samaj.
Jarange-Patil has given the state government a deadline of 24 December to issue Kunbi certificates to all Marathas.
“For this, they need not even call a special session, the winter session of the Assembly begins on 7 December and will go on till 22 December. Within this period, I am appealing to the government to give us the quota,” he told supporters in Thane.
He also had a message for CM Shinde: “If you do this (grant Marathas quota), the entire community will be behind you, else you will have to face the wrath of the community.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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