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In focus
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil Sunday once again attacked Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis accusing the BJP leader of “troubling” Muslims, conspiring to undermine Maratha leaders and trying to create a rift between the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and the Maratha communities.
“Muslims have never created any problem. But he is troubling them. If they trouble us, then we will tackle them… But Muslims don’t say anything, yet they are being troubled,” Jarange-Patil said at a press conference in Ahilyanagar Sunday.
“If the Marathas, Muslims and Dalits remain united, then Fadnavis won’t be able to trouble the Muslims. Fadnavis has no other work than stoke violence between us,” he said.
Jarange alleged Fadanvis was trying to create bitterness between Marathas and OBCs. “I am giving an important message to the Maratha community from Ahilyanagar. Devendra Fadnavis was deliberately trying to finish off Maratha leaders and Maratha officials… They should all remain alert,” he said.
He said even Maratha officials were suffering at the hands of Fadnavis. “I urge the Maratha community to stand by officials if they are harassed,” he said.
The activist said, “Our children are screaming for reservation… If Fadnavis wants Hindu religion to survive, he should care for us. Why is he not giving them reservation?”
Jarange said government officials were deliberately avoiding people with low incomes and Marathas who approached them for getting their official work done. “They make life miserable for the poor, the Maratha and the Dalit Muslims,” he said.
The activist said, “Fadnavis now claims that he will fight on behalf of the OBC community. Then who will fight for Marathas? Even OBC community knows that he wants to ensure that OBC and Marathas keep quarrelling. Even the OBC communities know now that he is provoking them to resort to violence against the Maratha community. If violence indeed takes place, then Fadnavis should remember he will be responsible for it.”
The activist stated that when an OBC member becomes a district guardian minister, the Marathas will suffer. “When a Maratha becomes district guardian minister, OBCs are not harassed.”
As for the local self-government body elections, Jarange Patil said, “The Maratha community will take a call in this regard. However, our stand regarding reservation is similar. We want reservation through the OBC quota and not through any other category. On August 19, we will go to Mumbai to carry out our agitation there.”
