Mumbai: The agitation that caused major political damage to the BJP-led Mahayuti during the Lok Sabha polls, especially in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra is back just ahead of the state assembly polls.
Manoj Jarange Patil's Message To The Govt
The government watched the situation as Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil announced the re-launch of his agitation for reservation for the Marathas in education and jobs with the threat that he would march to Mumbai if his demands were not met.
In response the state government called an all-party leader's meeting in Mumbai on Monday, but that was washed out by heavy rains. That meeting may happen later in the week now.
As Manoj Jarange-Patil held a huge rally in Nanded city in the Marathwada region of the state to announce he would flex his muscles, the crowd cheered him enthusiastically.
"The Maratha community has suffered for a long time because of adverse economic conditions. We cannot be treated as an affluent community and cannot be denied the benefits of reservation. I have been agitating for years now. We have been very peaceful but we need some response at some point. There have been many rounds of discussions and promises made but no action has happened. They have been telling me we will do this and that but nothing has materialised" Jarange-Patil said.
About The Hunger Strike
Jarange-Patil sat on a hunger agitation a couple of months before the Lok Sabha polls at his village in Beed district of Marathwada region and successfully created galvanisation in the community.
Political leaders believe Jarange-Patil's agitation was the single biggest reason behind the BJP's poor show in Marathwada and even Western Maharashtra. Union Ministers such as Bharati Pawar and Raosaheb Danve lost in their constituency, and even Pankaja Munde lost in Beed where it was believed that the wave created by the Maratha reservation caused her defeat. Both the seats that the BJP-led coalition won went to Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. Now, the BJP and its Mahayuti partners want to douse the agitation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray On Maratha Reservation
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray held a party rally on Sunday night where he said quick action was needed on the Maratha reservation.
"My party is willing to support the government in the state legislative assembly if they bring a bill to increase the overall limit for reservation and send that proposal to the center for approval," Uddhav said.
If the overall percentage which stands at 50% has to be increased, the state assembly has to pass a resolution and send it for approval to Lok Sabha. This process may take time and may not materialize before the state assembly polls in Maharashtra which are likely to take place by the last week of October 2024.
Opposition leaders in the state can sense that this is now becoming a big issue. NCP (SCP) MP Supriya Sule blamed the government for inaction on the issue.
"How much time can the government spend without any action on the reservation? We demand that the community should be given some assurance" Sule told the media.
The government is mindful of the attendant law and order situation in case there is a stir.
