Maha-Maratha honeymoon over: SIT to probe Jarange-Patil’s 7-month-long agitation

Mumbai: Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ordered a Special Investigation Team probe into the seven-month long Maratha agitation and allegations levelled by Shivba Sanghatana leader Manoj Jarange-Patil, a day after he ended his 17-day long hunger strike for Maratha quotas, here on Tuesday.

The development came seven months after the ruling Mahayuti government handled Jarange-Patil with kid gloves, but now the iron fist has come to the fore after the Maratha leader accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of allegedly plotting to ‘eliminate’ him, and hurling abuses.

After a heated debate on the issue this morning in the House, the Speaker ordered a SIT probe into the whole imbroglio, even as BJP’s Ashish Shelar and other members demanded Jarange-Patil’s arrest, a narco-test and other demands.

Shelar demanded a thorough investigation into the series of protests, rallies, road-block agitations, the violence in different parts of the state, recovery of a pistol from one person, burning the homes of various legislators and political leaders, arson incidents, etc, since the campaign started in August 2023.

Speaking in the House, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the government has unanimously given 10 per cent Maratha quotas in jobs and education which will stand up in the courts and this was appreciated by Jarange-Patil.

“The Supreme Court had observed that the Marathas are not backward, but the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission (MSBCC) has conducted a massive survey and concluded that the community is socially and educationally backward. The reservations we have given will not disturb the existing quotas of any other community,” declared Shinde.

The CM said that the Maratha quotas issue was pending for decades and they were denied the reservation though they are a backward community and he was committed to ensure that they get the quotas.

Other BJP leaders have alleged inside and outside that the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar was allegedly behind the Maratha agitation and even financed its mammoth protests, processions and rallies.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), especially NCP (SP) slammed the government demanding to know, had Jarange-Patil made ‘a political’ pawn.