With a fresh statement by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Maratha reservation issue does not seem to be resolved very soon as the CM hardened his stand against Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, saying he should not test the patience of his government.
Shinde on Sunday said Jarange must not test the patience of his government after the latter made wild allegations against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Jarange, while speaking in Antarwali Sarati earlier in the day, said Fadnavis was trying to kill him and announced he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of the Deputy CM. The activist had also said a poisoning attempt was made against him through saline, though he did not elaborate on the claim.
Jarange invokes his march to Mumbai
Jarange, who left for Mumbai to hold a protest against Fadnavis outside his residence, returned to his village midway saying he respects the law and does not want to create a law and order situation.
"All Marathas activists should maintain peace in the state and not take the law into their own hands," he said asking all workers to go to their homes.
Jarange, who was in in Bhambri village of Jalna along with his workers, said the government intended to detain women workers at night itself.
"Heavy police force was deployed. Orders have been issued to stop gathering in Ambad village, hence we will return to our village respecting the law and the police," he added.
Shinde also took a swipe at the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar chief Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT), saying Jarange's speech looks writen by someone else.
"Those who are protesting again and again against the government must not test our patience. They should not create a law and order problem.
I wonder why Jarange's speech looks like the script generally used by Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray," the chief minister said.
He was speaking to reporters on the eve of the session of the Maharashtra legislature. The Budget session of the state legislature will be held from Monday until March 1. This year, Maharashtra will have a vote-on-account, which is presented to seek House nod to spend funds for a few months.
Asked about Jarange's aggressive stand and the use of expletives in his speeches, Shinde said action would be taken as per law.
It is a conspiracy in progress and it would be exposed soon, the CM said.
The CM said, “Earlier, I believed Jarange to be a genuine person fighting for the (Maratha) community. However, the words uttered by him today do not gel well with the political culture of the state. I wonder if someone is egging on him to use such language.”
If Fadnavis was against the Maratha quota, why he would even form a commission in 2018 and get a bill for reservation for the community passed, asked Shinde.
“The legislation was upheld by the Bombay High Court. There was no proper and timely representation in the Supreme Court. Who was chief minister then," he asked, referring to the tenure of Uddhav Thackeray, who then headed the undivided Shiv Sena, as the CM.
Shinde was the urban development minister in the Thackeray cabinet when the SC struck down the state move to grant Maratha quota.
Shinde was also one of the members of a sub-committee set up for the Maratha reservation which was headed by then Congress’ Ashok Chavan, who is now with the BJP.
Earlier, Fadnavis said the state government has a fair idea about the people behind Jarange, adding that details would come out at an appropriate time.
(With PTI inputs)
