Mumbai/Jalna, Aug 12 (PTI) BJP MLC Parinay Fuke on Tuesday slammed Manoj Jarange for his criticism of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that the Maratha quota activist is remote-controlled by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar.
Fuke alleged Jarange’s protests are timed with elections, like “frogs showing up in rainy season”.
Jarange hit back, accusing Fadnavis of sowing discord between the Maratha and OBC communities.
Jarange has announced a fresh hunger strike in Mumbai on August 29 while accusing the Maharashtra government of failing to fulfil its promises to the Maratha community.
Last week, he alleged that Fadnavis was working to end the political careers of Maratha leaders in the government, including Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Fuke claimed, “Just like frogs that come out during rains, Jarange makes an appearance only when elections are in the offing. He has lost his credibility. His remote control is in NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s hands.” The BJP leader pointed out that Fadnavis was the first chief minister to grant reservation to Marathas.
“Perhaps Jarange does not want the Marathas to get a reservation. Perhaps he wants to create a rift between Marathas and other communities,” he alleged.
Earlier in Dharashiv, state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil also hit out at Jarange, questioning why he only targeted Fadnavis and didn’t object to Pawar’s public stance that Marathas cannot be given reservation.
“Will you get the quota by criticising Fadnavis? It was Fadnavis who gave you a reservation that lasted till the Supreme Court struck it down. The MVA government’s incompetence, including leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, caused the loss,” Vikhe Patil said.
Jarange has been demanding the recognition of all Marathas as Kunbis — an agrarian caste listed under the Other Backward Classes category and reservation for the politically dominant community in government jobs and education.
“The strength of the Maratha community should not be underestimated, or else there will be consequences,” he told reporters at Ankushnagar in Jalna district.
“We will reach Mumbai in a procession that will be unprecedented in scale. Nobody can stop us. We will celebrate victory on August 29,” he said.
The activist has undertaken multiple hunger strikes demanding the recognition of all Marathas as Kunbis — an agrarian caste listed under the OBC category and reservation for the politically dominant community in government jobs and education.
He has consistently called for the implementation of historical records, including the Bombay, Satara, and Hyderabad gazettes, which he claims document the classification of the Maratha community as Kunbis. PTI ND COR ARU NSK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.