05 March,2024 06:13 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondent
Manoj Jarange/ PTI
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on Tuesday expressed apprehension about his potential arrest citing that he is the "thorn" in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) path to power, amidst the backdrop of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into controversial remarks he made against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Speaking to media in the Beed district, Jarange revealed that he had received information indicating the completion of the SIT report and the impending prospect of arrest. He linked the perceived threat to his failure to support the Maharashtra assembly's recently passed 10 per cent quota for the Maratha population, instead campaigning for reservation under the Other Backward Classes category, reported news agency PTI.
He told the media, "I came to know from a reliable source that the SIT's report is ready. I have also found out that I am going to be arrested. The person told me I was a thorn in the BJP's path to power. Hence, they want me to agree to the 10 per cent quota, or else they will trap me."
The activist alleged that 36 MLAs met and urged Maratha legislators to speak out against him. Despite being freed from the hospital, Jarange claimed that no one from the SIT approached him for interrogation, the PTI report added.
According to the report, Jarange continued his stance against the quota, claiming that lawsuits were launched against him in Beed to pressure him into complying with the government's 10 per cent reserve policy, and questioned its legal viability.
"We know this quota won't sustain (legally), which is why we have not accepted it. So, the offences are registered against me," he was quoted as saying in the PTI report.
Regarding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Jarange stated that the decision to field candidates from villages belongs to the Maratha community. He also warned of probable disturbance if the government restricts their right to protest and resorts to legal repercussions against opposing voices.
"If the government doesn't allow people to agitate and registers cases against them, people will take appropriate steps," he said per the PTI report.
