Mumbai: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange stated on Sunday that he intends to march to Mumbai and stage a protest outside the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Jarange accused Fadnavis of attempting to kill him.
The announcement, made at the end of a speech of more than one hour in Antarwali Sarati in Jalna in which Jarange made several allegations against Fadnavis, took his supporters by surprise.
"Some people are being lured and pressured to make false allegations against me. Fadnavis is behind these conspiracies. He wants to kill me. I am ready to march to Sagar bungalow (Fadnavis' official residence in Mumbai's Malabar Hill) right away," Jarange said.
The announcement led to chaos at the site, where the activist's supporters had gathered in large numbers.
Even as some of them tried to take away his microphone, Jarange said he would march to Mumbai alone and all he needed was a stick for support.
Hitting back,BJP MLA Nitesh Rane warned Jarange that he would have to cross a "huge wall of party workers" to reach Fadnavis, adding that the quota activist was "now reading from a script".
"He should enter politics but he should not stoop low to make such allegations against Fadnavis," Rane said.
Mumbai BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said Jarange's "true face" was now in the open for all to see.
"The Maharashtra government has given 10 per cent reservation to the Maratha community (through a bill passed in the Legislature on February 20). Why is he continuing to protest? Fadnavis was CM for five years and everyone knows him. His image is not going to be affected by Jarange's allegations," Bhatkhalkar said.
—PTI