Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange along with hundreds of his supporters was headed towards Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ residence ‘Sagar’ in Mumbai to stage a demonstration. Jarange has alleged that Fadanvis is neither withdrawing the cases against Maratha activists nor allowing relatives to avail the benefits of Reservation for the Kunabi Community.
While addressing a gathering at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on Sunday, Jarange alleged that Fadnavis was trying to defame him by roping in people to malign his image, a PTI report said.
“Fadnavis has taken a decision without taking (Chief Minister Eknath) Shinde in the loop. Everything is happening at his directions, he is running the state. Does Fadnavis want me to sacrifice myself? I will march to his bungalow. Stop me if you can,” Jarange, who has been in the headlines for his hunger strike in demand of reservations for Marathas, was quoted by NDTV as saying.
The Maratha activist warned that he would stage a protest at Sagar bungalow. “If I die, place my body in front of his house,” he said.
“The government is going all-out to defame me. It wants me to die through a hunger strike. It is conspiring to eliminate me by poisoning me with saline. And that is why I have stopped taking IV fluids. Fadnavis is dreaming of eliminating me through an encounter,” Jarange-Patil told reporters in the Antarwali-Saraati village, an Indian Express report said.
Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government extended a 10% reservation to Marathas, in the socially and economically backward category in jobs and educational institutes.
Jarange, however, stated that the new law does not align with their demand. “We need reservation which we deserve, give reservation under OBC category to those whose proof of being Kunbi has been found. For those who don’t have proof, pass a law of ‘Sage Soyare’,” he said.
The activist had also demanded that all members of the Maratha community be considered Kunbi and given reservations under the OBC Quota, but the state government stated that only people with Nizam-era Kunbi certificates would get the benefits of the reservation.
“Fadnavis is trying to create a rift within the Maratha community. Attempts are being made to finish big communities and give more prominence to smaller communities,” Jarange was quoted by NDTV as saying.
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