Maharashtra LoP Vijay Wadettiwar appeals to Maratha reservation activists to protest peacefully

Mumbai: Amid the ongoing agitation for Maratha reservation by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, Maharashtra Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar appealed to Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil to protest peacefully, stating that he (Manoj Patil) should ensure that no one is harmed, and the law and order should be maintained.
Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar further said, "Everyone knows who groomed Manoj Jarange Patil, whose people used to go to Manoj Patil, whose OSD used to meet Manoj Patil. Maharshtra government ministers used to meet the activists. What they have sown, they are reaping."
Meanwhile, Maratha Manoj Jarange Patil claimed that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was conspiring to eliminate him (Manoj Patil) by poisoning him with saline.
In a reply to the Manoj Patil claim, Maharashtra BJP Chief Ashish Shelar said that soon Maratha society itself will reveal the real face of Manoj Jarange Patil.
Earlier, Maratha protestors set a state transport bus on fire at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk in Tirthpuri city, Ambad taluka, an official said on Monday.
Consequently, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has filed a police complaint and suspended bus services in Jalna until further notice.
"Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation has stopped ferrying its buses in Jalna till further notice. A police complaint has been filed by MSRTC's Ambad Depot Manager in a local police station after a bus was allegedly torched by Maratha Agitators," MSRTC said.
The Maratha community had been protesting against the state government on the issue of the Maratha reservation for several years.
Earlier this month, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (lower house) unanimously passed the Maratha Reservation Bill tabled, which intended to extend 10 per cent reservation to Marathas above the 50 per cent cap.
Refusing to call off his hunger strike even after the adoption of the quota bill in the Assembly on February 20, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil demanded that the NDA government implement the 'Sage Soyare' (Family tree) ordinance notification within two days, failing which the majority community in the state will launch a fresh round of agitation on February 24.
Patil, who had been at the front and centre of the protests demanding reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education, said the bill guaranteeing 10 per cent reservation for the community falls short of fulfilling their demands.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashok Chavan questioned the need to continue the agitation even when all his demands had been fulfilled.
"He (Manoj Jarange Patil) knows why he is agitating? What we are saying is that when the government has fulfilled all his demands by bringing this law, then there is no need for agitation," Chavan said.