Maharashtra: The protests by the Maratha community over the reservation issue have now become a widespread through the state of Maharashtra. Enraged protestors took their agitation to the next level on Monday by carrying out protest rallies on roads and raising slogans against the government.
Protestors in Baramati have hit roads in order to show their agitation against the Maharashtra government over the Maratha reservation issue. Visuals show a mob raising slogans against Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, demanding him to step out of the ruling government.
Protests By Blocking Roads And Calling For 'Bandh'
Similarly, protestors in Sambhaji Nagar staged a protest by blocking the main highway. Maratha groups have called for bandh in pockets of Jalna, Aurangabad, Solapur, Pune, Beed and other districts as police deployed tight security in all sensitive areas.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray experienced the community's ire when his motorcade was blocked briefly by the Maratha Kranti Morcha activists, while he was en route to Jalna. Raj Thackeray alighted from his vehicle when the Marathas put forth their demands which he assured to take up before his car was permitted to go ahead to Antarvali-Sarati village, where a group led by Manoj Jarange has been on a hunger strike since August 29.
Maharashtra Govt's Efforts To Control The Situation
Last evening, preliminary efforts by the Maharashtra government to resolve the crisis apparently failed to fructify after the agitators refused to call off their hunger strike, demanded quotas announcement within 48 hours, and suspension of all the police personnel involved in the caning incident on September 1. Representing the state government, Minister Girish Mahajan said that the administration is positive on the issue, but sought at least one month's time to work out a fool-proof policy which could withstand legal scrutiny.
The past two days have seen a galaxy of ruling and Opposition leaders rushing to Jalna to express solidarity with the Marathas and demanding justice for their cause. They included 3 ex-Chief Ministers - Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray and Congress' Ashok Chavan, descendants of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - Sambhajiraje Bhosale and Udayanraje Bhosale, and others.
