Raj Thackeray's 'someone being used as proxy' remark riles Maratha quota activists

Mumbai: Maratha activists on Monday reached the hotel in Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) where Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray is staying to find out what he meant by his comment about "someone being used as proxy".

They claimed Thackeray had, during his tour of Solapur, spoken of leaders of the Maratha quota stir being provoked by someone, adding that the MNS chief must clarify who he is referring to.

Speaking to news channel ABP Majha, an agitator said he and others had arrived at the hotel to ask Thackeray "peacefully" about his statement and also to know what is his and his party's stand on Maratha reservation.

Thackeray later asked those protesting outside to come and speak to him on their issues, though one of them claimed they refused to participate in the interaction since the MNS chief had spoken to them "disrespectfully".

"Raj Thackeray came down and told us to stop shouting slogans if they wanted to speak to him. He spoke disrespectfully so we are not meeting him now," the protester claimed.

In Solapur, Thackeray said, "The ongoing political scenario involves using someone as a proxy to push their own agenda, neglecting the needs of students from OBC, Maratha, and other communities. It is evident that these politicians are deceiving us, and it is unlikely that we will gain anything from their actions." "I have been expressing concern about how caste politics is influencing college and school environments. It's unfortunate to see this trend spreading as it poisons people's minds. It is important for every community to distance themselves from individuals who engage in such divisive practices," Thackeray said.

The Maratha quota agitation in the state is being headed by activist Manoj Jarange, who has held several hunger strikes from his native Antarwali Sarati in Jalna. He has been seeking issuing of Kunbi certificates to the Marathas so that they can avail quota benefits under the OBC segment.

Meanwhile, during his tour of Solapur, Thackeray asked how many people will benefit from caste-based reservation in government jobs when more employment opportunities were being created in the private sector.

Speaking to reporters in Pandharpur town, Thackeray said locals should be given priority in job opportunities.

"My stance is that locals should be given priority in job opportunities. Why should caste be a factor in this? If the private sector continues to create jobs, we should think about how many people will actually benefit from reservation in government jobs," the MNS chief said.

All communities should understand that they are being fooled only for votes, he said, his comments coming on the backdrop of the agitation by Marathas seeking reservation in government jobs and education under the Other Backward Classes category.

"Students from other states easily get admission to educational institutes here (Maharashtra) and get jobs. Nobody speaks about the challenges of locals not getting those jobs," Thackeray said.

Maharashtra, which once guided the country, is now stuck in caste politics, he noted.

Thackeray further said the unconditional support to the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls was only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The unconditional support was to Narendra Modi. I never gave any assurances regarding the state assembly elections," he said.

Asked about the BJP accusing the opposition of spreading fake narratives in the Lok Sabha poll campaign, Thackeray claimed it was the BJP's candidate from the Ayodhya seat who had mentioned about changing the Constitution.

"This means the BJP itself provided the opposition with a negative narrative line, which was not even discussed earlier," he claimed.

The MNS has announced the names of former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar and Dileep Dhotre as candidates from the Shivdi (Mumbai) and Pandharpur constituencies, respectively, in the upcoming assembly polls.

A few weeks ago, Thackeray expressed his intention to field candidates in all 288 assembly constituencies in the state.

Thackeray started his Marathwada tour on Monday and he is slated to visit all the districts in the region.