Mumbai: While Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil is touring across the state garnering support for the Maratha quota demand, the OBC leaders from across the state including minister Chhagan Bhujbal, former minister Pankaja Munde, leader of opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, RSP leader Mahadeo Jankar and BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar are all coming together at a grand rally in Jagange-Patil's Ambad village of Jalna district.
In an aggressive stand for the quota, Jarange-Patil had been demanding Maratha reservation from within the OBC quota. This demand had met with strong opposition from within the OBC community. To voice this opposition the OBC community gave a call for 'Elgar' (final battle) to save the OBC quota on Friday, November 17. This might lead to major discord between the two major communities in the state.
Jarannge-Patil had been pursuing his agitation for Maratha quota from his village Antarwali Sarati. His hunger strikes brought the state government to its knees. Now he has started demanding Maratha quota from within the OBC quota. The third stage of his agitation across the state has this as the key demand. His rallies at various places across the state are generating huge response and his stance against the government is getting tougher day-by-day.
OBC community too is consolidating in retaliation
On the other side, while Jarange-Patil is getting massive support from within the Maratha community, the opposition OBC community too is consolidating in retaliation. Bhujbal voiced the concerns of the OBC community first and for that Jarange-Patil started targeting him. Bhujbal had been professing a separate quota for the Maratha community. He had appealed to all OBC leaders to come together for that and organized a rally at Ambad.
At the rally he is expected to appeal to OBCs to be united and oppose efforts to grant Maratha quota from within the OBC share. While it is likely to be a show of strength for Bhujbal, all other OBC leaders in the state are expected to aggressively speak in favour of keeping the OBC quota intact. Bhujbal too is likely to get more aggressive over the issue.
Major OBC leaders expected to attend rally
While all major OBC leaders are expected to attend the rally, a tagline of "OBC Hit Ki Baat Karega, Vahi Desh Pe Raj Karehga" (One who will speak for OBC issues would rule the country) has been chosen for it. This is expected to vitiate the political atmosphere in Jalna district and the political battle may take the turn as Maratha against OBC. At some places in Jalna district the posters for the OBC rally were torn down. Acts like these would vitiate the atmosphere further. A similar rally is being planned at Hingoli also.
On the backdrop of the vitiated environment, the police bandobast has been beefed up across the district. Major forces are deployed in Ambad also.
