Lathi-charge on Maratha protestors was ordered by govt to divert attention from I-N-D-I-A meet: Congress

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Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday alleged police lathi-charged protestors in Jalna seeking Maratha reservation on the orders of the government to divert the attention from the I-N-D-I-A bloc meeting.

Talking to reporters, Patole claimed even women and children were not spared, causing injuries to many.

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"The Jalna incident was carried out to divert the attention from the I-N-D-I-A alliance meeting. This was done so that the positive message about the meeting does not go to other parts of the country," Patole claimed.

"The police cannot dare to do so without the order from the government," the Congress leader added.

The two-day meeting of the I-N-D-I-A alliance was held at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai on Thursday and Friday and was attended by 63 representatives from 28 opposition parties.

Police baton charged and lobbed tear gas shells on Friday to disperse protesters in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road in Jalna's Ambad tehsil after they allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike for Maratha quota to hospital, according to officials .

The agitation turned violent as some persons targeted state transport buses and private vehicles, police said. Villagers claimed that police fired some rounds in the air, but officials did not confirm it.

Patole said when Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in the opposition, he had claimed the issue of reservation would be addressed in 24 hours, but it has been more than a year since the Sena-BJP government is in power.

He said the Congress will launch the Jan Samvad yatra on September 3 to highlight the 'failures' of the BJP government at the Centre and in Maharashtra.