Maratha Protest Escalates In Mumbai As Manoj Jarange Patil Continues Indefinite Fast, Supporters Attempt To Gherao Mantralaya

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis  (55) appears to be facing a pincer attack vis-a-vis the Maratha agitation led by Manoj Jarange Patil (43).  During the January, 2024 phase of the agitation, Jarange Patil was accused of being heavily backed by a senior Maratha leader.

Jarange-Patil’s Fast Deepens Crisis

According to intelligence sources, this time around not only this leader is supporting the agitation but certain Maratha leaders of the ruling Mahayuti themselves are extending tacit support. More than the demand for Maratha reservation, the leaders both within and in the opposition appear to be keen on unseating Fadnavis, a Brahmin. They want to punish him for splitting the Shiv Sena and the NCP and toppling the MVA government. Many of the agitators spoken to by FPJ on Saturday made it clear that their target was Fadnavis.  The latter himself has stated that certain persons are using Jarange Patil's shoulders to open political fire at him. 

Opposition Targets Fadnavis

Fighting on two fronts, Fadnavis appears to have no clue as to how to get the protestors, who have made a perfect nonsense of law and order in Mumbai, to withdraw their occupation of  the heart of Mumbai. He first blundered by granting permission to Jarange Patil and the legion of his supporters to enter the city and stage their protest just for a day. But with the Maratha activist refusing to return, Fadnavis appears to have no idea how to send him back to his village in Jalna. The man is on indefinite fast refusing to even drink water which is creating high levels of anxiety in Mantralaya for obvious reasons. 

Streets of Mumbai Brought to a Halt

Many in  Mumbai are asking if the police have given up on the Maratha protestors or have they been instructed to go easy? These are the questions being asked by Mumbaikars as thousands of supporters have occupied the entire area  of Azad Maidan, the venue of their agitation in support of reservation in government jobs and educational institutions. What is worse is that the police are doing precious little  about the massive mayhem. Realising that the government is on the back foot, the agitators became militant on Saturday. 

When the FPJ visited the area on Saturday afternoon, it found that there was utter lawlessness.  Vehicles were  being stopped in front of Anjuman i Islam school on DN Road and motorists were being forced to reverse their cars.  Already hundreds of vehicles which were used to ferry the protestors from the interiors of Maharashtra are parked on DN Road and other arterial streets. BEST buses were being hijacked  near CST, passengers forced to alight and the drivers are being asked by Maratha youths to take them to Mantralaya. The aim appears to be to gherao Mantralaya, the centre of power in Maharashtra.

Protestors Attempt Mantralaya Gherao

Protestors sporting saffron scarves approached Mantralaya from different routes and nothing was done by the police to stop them unlike in the past when no protestors were allowed beyond Azad Maidan as per an order of  Bombay high court. Rasta rokos were staged at several places, including in front of the high court. The police are conspicuous by their absence. A motorist Sahadev Mehta asked: ``Mumbai is supposed to be the financial capital of India, but there is no law and order in the heart of the metropolis."

 Jarange Patil  dug in his heels on Saturday and defiantly reiterated that he and his supporters will not vacate Azad Maidan unless their demand is conceded. He accused the CM of ``spreading disinformation" about the Marathas' demand. "I have never said that  Marathas should be accommodated by reducing 10 percent of reservation meant for OBCs. All I am asking is that we be included in the kunbi OBC category so that we get the benefits of reservation automatically," he clarified.  

Fresh updates emerge from the ongoing protest, the state government has mobilised Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Azad Maidan with the protestors becoming increasingly militant. The central personnel posted in front of CST ensured that the agitators are unable to stop vehicle movement at the crucial junction. The decision to deploy CRPF was taken following discussions between CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union home minister Amit Shah.

Mumbai Braces for Monday Paralysis

Millions of Mumbaikars were held to ransom for the second consecutive day with the authorities doing nothing to restore normalcy. The worse is likely to happen on Monday when all the offices would be open and the city will witness acute traffic gridlocks all over.