Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange on Friday credited the peaceful and disciplined protests in Mumbai to the poor Maratha community, not to himself or chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“Our poor Maratha brothers came to Mumbai, protested without troubling anyone, and returned peacefully. The credit is theirs, not mine or Fadnavis’s,” Jarange told reporters. Jarange, who ended a five-day hunger strike in Mumbai, is under treatment in a private hospital. His remarks came after the Shiv Sena mouthpiece claimed CM Fadnavis deserved credit, and BJP workers put up celebratory banners. He pointed out that many Mumbaikars supported the protesters instead of feeling inconvenienced. On the government’s decision to implement the Hyderabad State Gazette for Marathwada Marathas, Jarange said only rich Marathas were opposing it. “They don’t need reservation, so they never protest. This struggle belongs to poor Marathas. Let them fight,” he said.
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‘This GR is good, hence Bhujbal’s criticism’
Taking a dig at minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Jarange added, “If this GR was weak, Bhujbal would not be upset. His criticism shows the GR is strong and will bring Marathas of Marathwada under OBC. Minor flaws, if any, can be corrected.”