In Jalna, the police lathi-charged the protesters who were on a hunger strike demanding Maratha reservation, after which Maratha protesters once again became aggressive across the state. This was followed by comments from several political leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar. In this context, there are allegations that the Maratha agitation is being fueled by a senior NCP leader. When asked about this, Congress leader and MLA Balasaheb Thorat clarified his stand. He was speaking to the media in Ahmednagar on Wednesday, September 6.
Balasaheb Thorat said, "The issue of Maratha reservation is very important. The real question is what efforts this government has made in the past year to address this issue. It has been completely overlooked for the past year and a half, despite the patience of the Maratha community. We have had a chief minister, two deputy chief ministers, and such a large group of ministers, yet they did not pay attention to the Maratha community. The government's neglect of the Maratha community is regrettable. We support Maratha reservation."
Is the Maratha movement being fueled by senior leaders of the NCP? Balasaheb Thorat clarified his position on this question. He said, “Actually, it is not like that. We all have one demand, and that is that reservation for OBCs should not be compromised. They should have their reservation. Their rights should be upheld, and the Maratha community should be given reservation by increasing the reservation limit by more than 50 per cent. That's what our leaders have been saying for a long time.
"That's why if some leaders are talking about Maratha reservation now, it is not right to say that it has been fueled. They're trying to find another way. The BJP is trying to change the direction of this demand, which is the point of this discussion," Thorat said, dismissing the charge of fueling the Maratha agitation.