An official Maharashtra state delegation which may include cabinet ministers of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance are likely to reach Azad Maidan and hold discussions with Maratha reservation quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange-Patil, whose supporters painted Mumbai city saffron, as he began his indefinite protest fast on Friday morning.
Braving the rain, thousands of Maratha protesters wearing saffron caps and shawls reached Azad Maidan and after there was no space left, spilled over to the adjoining streets and even occupied the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station as well as the Churchgate railway station.
Some Maratha protestors even managed to enter inside the Maharashtra state secretariat administrative building premises called Mantralaya and shout slogans demanding reservations for Marathas.
A protester even poured diesel over himself in an attempt to commit suicide outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, but he was stopped in time by other Maratha protestors, after which the police took him away.
Significantly, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that “Maratha protest coordinators have given a letter of permission to Azad Maidan police asking for permission to protest tomorrow. They have stated that their agitation will continue at Azad Maidan until their demands are fulfilled. They will take permission to protest from the Azad Maidan police station everyday”.
Earlier, the Marathas were permitted to protest till 6 pm on Friday, but the Mumbai Police has now extended the deadline by one more day, due to which the protest will continue on Saturday (August 30) as well. The extension has been given subject to certain conditions, it is learnt.
Meanwhile, sources said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reach Mumbai on Friday night and visit Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal on Saturday afternoon, and it is unlikely that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will take any decision about Jarange-Patil’s deemands, without discussing all issues with Shah.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was born in Mumbai, is scheduled to visit Lalbaugcha Raja, which is one of the most famous Ganesh pandals in Mumbai, on Saturday, which he is known to do every year, along with his family.
Sources said that Fadnavis will brief Shah about the political situation and the ongoing Maratha protests as well as the BJP’s preparations for the local civic bodies elections to be held in Maharashtra. Shah is expected to meet Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, though these meetings are not confirmed. Shah is also expected to visit the residence of state Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar.
As things stand, it is clear that no immediate decision or breakthrough can be expected and Jarange-Patil’s fast demanding reservations for Marathas will continue indefinitely.
Earlier on Friday, Water Resources Minister and Maratha reservation sub-committee chairperson Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil of the BJP and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule of the BJP said that the Maharashtra state government is ready to talk with Maratha reservation quota agitation leader Manoj Jarange-Patil, adding that his demands are being considered “sympathetically”.
However, BJP Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Parinay Fuke cautioned against yielding to what he called Jarange-Patil’s “unconstitutional demands”, saying that any such move is guaranteed to trigger even bigger protests by Other Backward Class (OBC) groups, who have already begun to mobilise. BJP MLC Fuke warned against giving in to what he called “unconstitutional demands” raised by Jarange-Patil.
“The way Jarange has cornered Mumbai and the state government, I do not think the state should come under pressure. But if it takes any steps in that direction, the OBC community will hold a protest ten times bigger than this one,” BJP MLC Parinay Fuke said.
Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said that he has a copy of Jarange-Patils’s demands which would be taken up for discussion. “Jarange-Patil has arrived in Mumbai and he says he is ready for talks with the government. We are also ready to talk to him.
Reservation was never treated as a matter of prestige by our government. Once his demands are examined, talks will be held with him,” Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil told media persons on Friday.
“The government has not ignored these demands. The process of issuing Kunbi caste certificates under the Hyderabad Gazette is already underway. If anyone has been left out, the Justice Sandeep Shinde committee will take corrective steps. Similarly, if there are any new demands, those too will be discussed. A solution has to be found through dialogue,” Vikhe Patil told media persons on Friday.
Significantly, Jarange has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the OBC category since he claims that Marathas and Kunbis are the same people.
He has demanded that all Marathas must be recognised as Kunbis, who are an agrarian caste included in the OBC category, in order to make Marathas eligible for reservation in government jobs and education, though OBC leaders have opposed this demand since they feel that this would adversely affect reservations meant for OBCs.
BJP leader and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that while the government had taken initiatives like reservation for the economically weaker section (EWS) and SARTHI schemes for the welfare of the Maratha community, it would not compromise on the interests of OBCs.
“Our government’s stand is clear. OBCs should not face any injustice while giving reservation benefits to Marathas, and vice versa,” Bawankule said.