Mumbai: The face of the Maratha reservation campaign, Manoj Jarange-Patil, arrived in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to a tumultuous welcome even as he passed through the home-turf of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Jarange-Patil was in the Raigad-Thane-Palghar belt, the suburban areas of the twin districts of Mumbai City and Suburban.
As his cavalcade passed by flowers were showered from JCB machines on him and saffron balloons were released in the air.
Lakhs of people hailed Jarange-Patil, who is in his forties, even as there were slogans like ‘Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha’ rent the air.
Couple of days ago, Jarange-Patil had visited the Raigad Fort, from where legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundation of the ‘Hindavi-swaraj’ or self rule of Hindu-people. Shivaji Maharaj (19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was coronated in the Raigad Fort on 6 June, 1674 - and the 350th anniversary celebrations are being held across the state.
The visit comes at a time when the OBC leadership of the state - cutting across party lines - has slammed the Shinde-led Maha Yuti government for giving Maratha-Kunbi and Kunbi-Maratha certificates based on old documents - which would enable them to get benefits under the OBC quota.
During the tour, Jarange-Patil maintained that the deadline set was 24 December, 2023 to give reservation to the Marathas and complete the process of granting Kunbi certificates, however, the government has claimed that the date agreed was 2 January, 2024. In this regard, the government has reached out to him.
Published 21 November 2023, 11:44 IST