Manoj Jarange slams right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide for questioning Maratha quota

Manoj Jarange. Pic/PTI

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange took a swipe at right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide, who allegedly questioned the need for reservation for Marathas, reported news agency PTI.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Jarange alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was using Bhide as a new weapon against him.

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"Bhide is speaking Fadnavis's words, and he is being used as a new weapon against me. The Maratha community is going farther away from Fadnavis and the BJP," Jarange claimed, reported PTI.

He also slammed Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal over his statement about the number of Marathas who attended his rally in Nashik, reported PTI.

Bhujbal, a leader of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, on Sunday claimed that only 8,000 Marathas had attended Jarange's rally in Nashik on August 13.

The Maratha quota activist held rallies in Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik in the last couple of weeks.

"Bhujbal is a member of the state government, and Fadnavis is the home minister. The police belong to them. We know how many Marathas were in the rally. If Bhujbal is keeping a count of Marathas taking to the streets, he should be made an officer of the regional transport office (RTO) and handed a whistle to count Marathas in vehicles," he said, reported PTI.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has been demanding the implementation of the draft notification that recognises Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of Maratha community members and reservation to the latter under the OBC category. Kunbis enjoy quota benefits as OBCs. However, OBC members have stressed that their quota should not be diluted.

Meanwhile, a group of Maratha quota activists confronted NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil and sought the party's stand on the issue of reservations for the community, reported PTI.

The incident took place during the Sharad Pawar-led party's 'Shivrajya Yatra' in Badnapur on Sunday. Patil was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Amol Kolhe and MLA Rajesh Tope, reported PTI.

The activists wanted Patil to make a statement on the party's stand on granting reservations to Marathas in jobs and education.

The NCP (SP) leader experienced a similar episode in Ghanswanghi, which is just a few kilometres away from Antarwali Sarati, the epicentre of the Maratha quota stir being led by activist Manoj Jarange, reported PTI.

In Bhokardan, during an event associated with the yatra, several people indulged in sloganeering, leading to Patil not delivering his speech, eye witnesses said, reported PTI.

Patil ended the event by saying Tope had spoken well so there was no need for him to add anything more, reported PTI.

He also admonished the crowd for indiscipline, and said those indulging in such acts were helping BJP leader and former Union minister Raosaheb Danve, who hails from Bhokardan.

(With inputs from PTI)