State Congress Chief Nana Patole has made startling claims, alleging that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde encouraged Manoj Jarange, a prominent figure advocating for Maratha reservation rights, to undertake an indefinite hunger strike.
Jarange concluded his 17-day-long fast on Thursday after receiving assurances from Shinde and his cabinet ministers, who visited him in Jalna and pledged to address the issue of Maratha reservation in the state. The government subsequently announced significant development projects valued at Rs 45,000 crore for the Marathwada region during a cabinet meeting held in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar.
Nana Patole voiced his accusations during a media briefing in Nagpur, claiming, “To divert the attention from the I.N.D.I.A meeting in Mumbai, Jarange was asked to sit on a hunger protest on August 31. On September 1, in the afternoon, the state’s home minister issued orders for a lathicharge on the protesters. This was done to shift the focus away from the Mumbai meeting. It is now evident that the lathicharge, for which the state’s home minister apologized, was a deliberate government effort to sow discord between two communities.”
These allegations by Patole are expected to spark a political controversy within the state. Regarding the issue of reservation, Patole asserted that the Congress party’s stance is straightforward: “Those who are socially disadvantaged should receive justice.