Fadnavis behind Jalna police action on Maratha quota agitators, alleges Sule

NCP leader Supriya Sule has held Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responsible for the last week's police action on Maratha quota agitators in Jalna, and alleged the state and Union governments were not serious about the issue of reservations for various communities.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, she also urged the Centre to convene a special session of Parliament to find a solution to the issue of reservations.

The police baton-charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob at Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna district on September 1 after protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift an activist on a hunger strike for the Maratha quota demand to a hospital. Several persons, including 40 police personnel, were injured and more than 15 state transport buses set ablaze in the violence.

'The state and Union governments are not serious about quota to Marathas, Lingayats, Muslims, Dhangars etc. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis spoke about solving the Dhangar reservation issue in a meeting in front of our house in Baramati, but he seems to have forgotten about it,' Sule said.

'The police lathi-charged protesters in Jalna for which Fadnavis (who holds the Home portfolio in the Eknath Shinde government) is responsible. The Union government must convene a special session of Parliament to find a solution to the issue of reservations,' the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said.

Notably, Fadnavis earlier this week said the government regrets the use of force by police against the Maratha quota protesters in Jalna. 'The Maharashtra government expresses regret for the use of force by police in Jalna district a few days back,' he said on Monday.

Sule said farmers were facing distress due to lack of rains, which has also resulted in paucity of fodder for cattle, but the government was not extending any relief.

Mocking the state government's 'Shasan Aplya Dari' (government at your doorstep) initiative, the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati said what is prevailing is 'ED and CBI (central probe agencies) at your doorstep', a reference to cases against several opposition leaders.

She claimed the Centre was afraid of the opposition INDIA bloc, and therefore it has started speculation on a name change for the country.

Speaking on the situation in the NCP, she maintained that there was no split in the party and Sharad Pawar continues to be its national president and Jayant Patil the state unit chief.

On July 2, Ajit Pawar and eight NCP MLAs joined the Eknath Shinde government.