New Delhi:
Maharashtra lawmaker Prakash Solanke’s house in Beed district was vandalized and set on fire on Monday morning amid renewed violence over the Maratha quota issue. The protests were sparked by alleged comments against a hunger strike by pro-quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on October 25.
Protesters also threw stones and damaged a vehicle parked outside the house of Mr Solanke, who is a member of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party camp, which split from Sharad Pawar’s group this year. “I was in my house when it was attacked. Fortunately, none of my family members or staff were injured. We are safe but there is huge loss of property…,” he told news agency ANI.
Images shared by ANI showed the large white house completely engulfed in flames, with a terrifyingly huge plume of black smoke rising from the burning building.
#WATCH | Beed, Maharashtra: Maratha reservation agitators vandalized and set fire to the residence of NCP MLA Prakash Solanke. pic.twitter.com/8uAfmGbNCI
— ANI (@ANI) October 30, 2023
In a widely circulated audio clip, Mr Solanke is heard saying: “The issue (the quota demand and the 40-day deadline for the state government to implement it) has become a child’s play.”
“The person who did not even contest a gram panchayat election (which is seen as an attack on Mr Patil) has become a smart person today,” Mr Solanke is said to have said on the tape.
The NCP has condemned the arson, calling it a “complete failure of the Home Minister”. “This is the failure of the three-engine government in Maharashtra. Today the MLA’s house is being set on fire… what is the Home Minister doing? It is their responsibility…” Supriya Sule, an MP from Sharad Pawar, said .
Mr Pawar on Sunday attacked the Maharashtra government, alleging that its inaction in this regard had led to increased unrest and tension within the Maratha community. “As a party… our position is clear. Jarange’s demand must be met without harming the interests of other communities,” he said.
“The need of the hour is to ensure that the quota requirement is properly met….”
READ | “An hour is needed to ensure that Maratha quota demand is met”: Sharad Pawar
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has reacted to the arson incident by saying, “Manoj Patil must take note of the turn this protest is taking… It is going in the wrong direction.”
Mr Shinde also said today that his government has formed a board to look into the matter.
“This board will make suggestions… on what can be done regarding the Maratha reservation. We will also collect empirical data (for the state) with the help of the Backward Classes Commission… so that we can reach the Supreme Court in the coming months, can tell curative petition, (simply) how backward the Maratha community is…”
READ |Panel to advise on approaching Supreme Court on Maratha quota: Eknath Shinde
The meeting today was between Mr Shinde and ministers of his government; these included leaders of both the Sena and NCP factions, led by the Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar respectively.
On Tuesday, representatives of Manoj Patil will meet cabinet members for further talks, Shinde said.
The Chief Minister also stated, “We will provide reservations in two phases – one through Kunbi caste certificate and the other on the basis of economic backwardness which will pass legal scrutiny.”
Meanwhile, the anti-quota protests in Maratha have also affected a Cricket World Cup match being played in Pune, where Afghanistan will play Sri Lanka. To avoid disruptions to the match, the police are turning back anyone dressed in black, fearing they are trying to make a political statement.
The Maratha community is seeking reservations in government jobs and education as part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
With input from agencies
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