Nana Patole (left); Eknath Shinde with Manoj Jarange. (PTI/X)
“To divert the attention from the I.N.D.I.A meeting in Mumbai, Manoj Jarange was asked to sit on hunger protest on August 31. On September 1, home minister gave orders for lathicharge on the protesters,” alleges state Congress chief Nana Patole
Manoj Jarange, the new face of Maratha reservation, was asked to sit on an indefinite hunger strike by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, state Congress chief Nana Patole has alleged.
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Jarange ended his fast after 17 days on Thursday, as Shinde and his cabinet ministers visited him in Jalna and assured him of Maratha reservation in the state. In a cabinet meeting at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar on Saturday, the government announced development works worth Rs 45,000 crore for Marathwada.
Speaking to the media in Nagpur, Patole alleged, “To divert the attention from the I.N.D.I.A meeting in Mumbai, Jarange was asked to sit on hunger protest on August 31. On September 1, in the afternoon, home minister of the state gave orders for lathicharge on the protesters. It was done to take away the attention from the Mumbai meeting. It is now clear that the lathicharge for which the home minister of the state tendered an apology was an attempt by the government to create tension between two communities.”
Patole’s allegations are likely to ignite a political controversy in the state.
Talking about the reservation, Patole said that the Congress’s stand is clear. “Those who are backward should get justice. It should be done by caste-wise census and not snatching reservation from their hands. Other Backward Classes (OBC) should be given 27% reservation and Marathas, Dhangars should be given further reservation by crossing the limit of 50%.”
