State orders SIT probe into Jarange-Patil’s agitation

A day after it turned up the heat on Manoj Jarange-Patil, forcing him to call off his hunger strike, the state government on Tuesday announced that a special investigation team (SIT) would probe if anyone instigated the Maratha reservation activist to lead protests and use abusive language against deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

“All the aspects, including the people behind it, the violence erupted in Beed and other parts of central Maharashtra, and the allegations levelled by the activist, will be investigated. We will decide on the other details and terms of reference (scope of inquiry),” Fadnavis told HT.

Reacting to the development, Jarange-Patil said he was ready to face the probe but apologised to chief minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis for accusing the latter of hatching a conspiracy to kill him and using abusive words against the deputy CM on Sunday.

“I have nothing to be scared of. I have been saying that there is a conspiracy to implicate me. However, I should not have said it (abusive language). I apologise to Shinde and Fadnavis,” he told reporters in Jalna.

Earlier in the day, BJP members in the assembly and council alleged that Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar and party MLA Rajesh Tope were behind the protest and violent incidents.

BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said the activist not only used derogatory language against Fadnavis and other leaders, but also spoke about destroying Maharashtra. “There are certain people (from) the opposition behind the protest and the activist leading it. There were meetings held in the sugar factory of a (Sharad Pawar faction of NCP) leader. We demand an SIT probe into it.”

BJP legislators also pointed out that two persons, who claimed to be associates of Jarange-Patil, had alleged that the activist was in touch with a politician.

Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar directed the government to probe the entire episode. “The issue of instigating protests and using derogatory speeches and remarks against constitutional posts cannot be tolerated. I have taken a serious note of the sentiments expressed by the members. I would direct the state government to conduct a thorough probe (by an SIT) into the explosive remarks and the people behind it.”

Fadnavis then announced that an SIT would be set up to conduct the probe.

“Manoj Jarange-patil is not important, but the insult to the democracy and the constitutional posts could not be tolerated. There is a need to investigate as to who is behind it all. The state government will look into all these aspects by probing it through an SIT,” he said.

Without disclosing details, Fadnavis said the police investigation had revealed who was encouraging Jarange-Patil and who were behind the violent incidents. “Even war rooms were opened in Sambhaji Nagar and Navi Mumbai (for this purpose).”

Officials from the home department said the SIT is expected to be headed by a senior police officer from central Maharashtra.

In the council, Shinde said some people were trying to portray that Fadnavis was against the Maratha community.

He said he first took a sympathetic view to the agitation, but when protesters burnt houses of MLAs and politicians and set state transport buses on fire the government could not keep quiet. “This is not the language of an activist; it smacks of a political agenda.’’

BJP MLC Pravin Darekar said, “Sangeeta Wankhede, a close associate of Jarange-Patil, alleged that the Maratha agitation was financed by Sharad Pawar and the activist was also acting on his instructions. Workers from the Pawar faction put banners in support of Jarange-Patil. I demand an SIT probe into the role of Jalna MLA Tope.”

Dismissing the charges, Sharad Pawar said he had nothing to do with Jarange-Patil.

“Let them conduct whatever probe they want. I have nothing to do with him (Jarange-Patil). Let them check my call detail records,” Pawar said in Pune. “I met Jarange-Patil only once when he began his hunger strike. I advised him not to do anything that would create a rift between communities.”

About the allegations by Fadnavis and BJP leaders that he was behind the Maratha quota agitation, he said, “I have never seen people sitting in responsible positions making such childish statements.”

He also claimed that his party MLA Tope was not involved in Jarange-Patil’s agitation.

For his part, Tope said neither he nor Pawar had any role to play in the protests. “It is not the first time Jarange-Patil resorted to protests. He did it when I was a minister in the MVA government. His protests did not depend on who was in power.”

Regarding allegations that his cooperative sugar factory provided logistical support to the agitation, Tope said, “We have been providing water and food to protesters. We did for Dhangar agitators too.”

The opposition parties slammed the government over the SIT probe.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said the government is calling Jarange-Patil a criminal. “Why does not the government tell him where he is going wrong?”

Regarding the allegations by BJP leaders that Pawar was behind Jarange-Patil’s action, he said, “The current state police chief (Rashmi Shukla) is an expert in tapping phones. She can easily find out who all were in touch with Jarange-Patil.”

State Congress chief Nana Patole wanted to know whether the probe should include what Shinde’s officer on special duty Mangesh Chivate was doing with Jarange-Patil. “The person was constantly meeting the activist. What transpired between them?”

Leader of opposition in the council, Ambadas Danve, said the probe was an attempt to crush the Maratha agitation.

State govt issues notification, Maratha reservation comes into effect

A week after a bill was passed to accord a 10% quota to the Maratha community from the socially and educationally backward class, the state on Tuesday issued a notification to that effect. The government also issued an order to all its departments directing them to reserve 10% for Maratha candidates in all future government recruitments.

The notification was issued by the law and judiciary department of the state on Monday after Governor Ramesh Bais gave his assent to the reservation law passed by both houses of the state legislature on February 20.

With the 10% quota in jobs and education, the total reservation for Marthas is now 72% in the state.

In the order issued, the state has explained the formula as per which the Marata quota candidates are to be recruited. The order says that the candidates who have cleared the recruitment process on merit should not be included in the SEBC quota. It has also explained the process to be followed for the recruitment that took place before the law was passed.