Supporters of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange visit Mumbai to meet CM at his residence, stopped at BMC headquarters

PIC/ASHISH RAJE

The supporters of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange were in Mumbai on Saturday, September 21, to meet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at his official residence. However, they were stopped by Mumbai Police outside the civic body headquarters.

Earlier in the day, the supporters of Jarange and Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Laxman Hake confronted each other. The development comes amid the growing tension over separate hunger strikes by Jarange and Hake in Jalna district of Maharashtra.

Hake, who has been on fast since Thursday, September 19, for the "protection" of the OBC quota, accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Jarange of "trying to suppress the OBC reservation movement", news agency PTI reported.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of Maratha activists took out a two-wheeler rally, passing through the protest site of Hake in Wadigodri village and raising slogans, promptly countered by members of OBC communities.

The police prevented a potential law-and-order situation by dispersing the supporters of Hake and Jarange, an officer said.

Notably, Hake and Jarange have been observing fasts at Wadigodri and Antarwali Sarati villages, situated 3 km apart, in Jalna district.

Jarnage launched a fresh hunger strike on Tuesday, September 17, for the implementation of the draft notification declaring the blood relatives of Marathas as Kunbis, based on historical documents from the Satara, Bombay, and Hyderabad gazetteers.

Jarange's main demand is bringing the Marathas under the OBC quota so that they can avail reservations in government jobs and education.

Hake and Navnath Waghmare launched a counter-hunger strike to safeguard the OBC quota and scrap the draft Sage Soyare notification.

Speaking to reporters, Hake accused the Maratha reservation activists of trying to intimidate OBC protesters.

"Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is responsible for creating the tense atmosphere. Maharashtra is not the personal property of either Jarange or Shinde," he said, adding that OBCs would respond strongly to any threat.

"We will give the state government and Jarange a befitting reply. The government is protecting Jarange. We will not tolerate the mob rule," Hake added.

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