'Will Face Consequences In Vidhan Sabha Elections': Maratha Quota Activist Jarange Patil Warns Congress, Here's Why

Pro-Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has accused the Congress party on Monday (10 June) of betraying the Maratha community’s interests.

He also warned that the party would face repercussions in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections.

Leader of Opposition and prominent Congress OBC leader Vijay Wadettiwar had opposed reserving a portion of the OBC quota for the Maratha community.

Reacting to the Congress leader’s stance, the activist said, “The Congress sought votes from the Maratha community in the recent Lok Sabha elections, and now they are acting against our interests. They will face the consequences in the Vidhan Sabha elections.”

In the 18th Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won 13 of the 17 seats it contested in the Western State as part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The alliance secured 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats.

In comparison, the ruling MahaYuti won 17 seats, with an additional seat won by a rebel Congress candidate who later extended his support to the grand old party.

Jarange-Patil reiterated his demand for the implementation of the draft notification that recognises all blood relatives of Maratha community members as Kunbis, an agrarian group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) community eligible for quota benefits. He also sought a law to identify Kunbis as Marathas.

Additionally, he called for the withdrawal of cases against protesters advocating for Maratha quotas.

Regarding the impact of the Maratha reservation issue on the recent Lok Sabha elections, he stated that his community had demonstrated its strength in the polls but denied allegations that BJP leaders Pankaja Munde and Raosaheb Danve’s loss in Beed and Jalna, respectively, was due to his appeal to the Maratha community.

He stated, “I did not favour any candidate nor was against anyone in the Lok Sabha election,” he added.

He also accused Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis of obstructing the Maratha reservation process, alleging that Fadnavis had conspired against the Maratha community.

He warned that he would field candidates for all 288 assembly seats in the upcoming state election if his demands were not met. However, he added that if the reservation demand was fulfilled, the Maratha community would hold the CM and his deputy in high regard.