Mumbai: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Friday said that the state government is against giving reservations to Marathas, even as NCP Chief Sharad Pawar supported his stand blaming Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for promising things that are not possible.
"It's a conspiracy by the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to stop Marathas from progressing. They had sought 30 days time from us, we gave 40 days. Yet they didn't grant us reservation. This means that the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister have conspired against the children in the Maratha community," Jarange Patil said.
“PM Modi did not speak on the Maratha reservation issue”: Jarange Patil
Jarange Patil, who resumed his fast on Wednesday, also expressed dismay over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at Shirdi on Thursday, which didn't have even a mention of the Maratha agitation, and blamed the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister for that.
"PM Modi didn't speak on the Maratha reservation issue. This means two things. CM and DCM didn't brief the PM on the Maratha reservation issue or the PM purposely didn't speak on the issue. He came very close to us but didn't speak. Now, we don't care if he speaks or not. Marathas were not against the PM. If we had negative feelings about the PM we would not have allowed his helicopter to land in Shirdi," Jarange-Patil added.
"Poor people in Maharashtra have started interpreting this as Prime Minister Narendra Modi no longer needs the poor in the country," Jarange-Patil said on Friday and added, "We were hoping that the Prime Minister would make some comment on the issue or may ask the CM to expedite the issue. The Maratha community doesn't have any animosity towards PM Modi. Else they wouldn't have let his plane land at Shirdi."
Jarange Patil urges MLAs from all parties to ask for special session
He also urged all party MLAs to ask for a special session in two days to pass the Maratha Reservation Bill. "Politicians need not come to our villages. If they want to help, they should call for a special session of assembly and pass the reservation bill," he said.
On the third day of his indefinite hunger strike, Jarange-Patil refused to take a medical check-up, saying he would not even drink water. He hinted that the 2nd phase of the protest would start after October 29.
"The government is sleeping. Fasting is the 1st phase. On Sunday, we will have a meeting to decide our next step to get a reservation," he added.
While reiterating his demand of Kunbi caste certificates to all Marathas, he said, "No need for evidence. In 1967, those castes who were given reservations had the same occupation as us. They were given reservations based on occupation, not on evidence. Punjabrao Deshmukh gave reservations to Marathas in Vidharb on the same lines, we can get a reservation. You can take an affidavit from us about our caste."
"Earlier, we had trust in CM Ekanth Shindi that he would get us a reservation, but looking at the above facts, we have lost trust," Jarange Patil said.
Pawar praises Patil
NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, praised Jarange-Patil on Friday and opined that the Government needs to speak to Maratha agitators.
"Jarange-Patil gave time to the government, yet their demands have not been met. The government needs to speak to them," Pawar said and added, while taking a jibe at Chief Minister Shinde, that one should not make a promise if it cannot be fulfilled.
Youth hangs self
Meanwhile, a 28-year-old young man in Sambhaji Nagar hanged himself for the quota demand on Friday while writing in a note not to cremate his body till the quota demand is met.
Ganesh Kakasaheb Kuber (28) a resident of Apatgaon, ChittePimpalgao in Sambhajinagar district, hanged himself at around noon while he was alone at home. He was rushed to hospital when people came to know about it, but he was declared dead by the doctors. He wrote on a slate that last rites shouldn't be performed on his body till the Maratha community doesn't get reservation, police said. Relatives of Kuber demanded that a case be filed against Adv Gunaratna Sadavarte in relation with the suicide. They also said that they won't take possession of the body till the case is filed.
