Activist Manoj Jarange Criticizes Right-Wing Leader Bhide and Maharashtra Ministers over Maratha Reservation Issue

Activist Manoj Jarange criticized right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide and Maharashtra ministers for their stance on Maratha reservation. Jarange accused Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of using Bhide as a weapon against him. The activist also slammed Minister Chhagan Bhujbal for allegedly downplaying Maratha participation in Jarange's rally.

Activist Manoj Jarange took a swipe at right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide, who allegedly questioned the need for reservation for Marathas.

In a press briefing on Sunday, Jarange alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was using Bhide as a new weapon against him.

Jarange claimed, "Bhide is speaking Fadnavis's words, and he is being used as a new weapon against me. The Maratha community is going farther away from Fadnavis and the BJP."

He also criticized Maharashtra Minister Chhagan Bhujbal over his statement about the number of Marathas who attended his rally in Nashik.

Bhujbal, a leader of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community, had claimed that only 8,000 Marathas attended Jarange's rally in Nashik on August 13.

Jarange held rallies in Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune, Ahmednagar, and Nashik in recent weeks.

"Bhujbal is a member of the state government, and Fadnavis is the home minister. The police belong to them. We know how many Marathas were in the rally. If Bhujbal wants to count Marathas on the streets, he should be made an RTO officer," Jarange remarked.

Jarange has been demanding the implementation of the draft notification that recognizes Kunbis as 'sage soyare' (blood relatives) of Marathas and grants reservation to them under the OBC category. However, OBC members insist that their quota should not be diluted.

(With inputs from agencies.)