After the police actions against Maratha protesters in Jalna, opposition parties in Maharashtra, led by NCP head Sharad Pawar, are demanding the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Pawar, along with Congress officials and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, called for Fadnavis' resignation. They accused him of ordering a lathi charge against what they termed "peaceful protestors." Many Maratha organisations have also stood up to the demand. They are now planning a protest in Dadar to emphasise their point.
The protests happened on August 29 in Antarvali-Sarati village in Jalna. Many Maratha activists, led by Manoj Jarange-Patil, started a four-day strike demanding reservation for the Maratha community there. In response to this, the police started a lathi charge on protesters. Despite police intervention, Patil and his followers continued their protest on Saturday.
Soon, the protests spread to the entire state. So far, police has registered complaint against more than 300 people. Maratha organisations have requested shutdowns starting on Monday in a number of locations in the state. This includes Jalna, Hingoli, and Aurangabad.
The demand for an investigation has also started. Both Sharad Pawar and Udayaraje Bhonsle, a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha and a direct descendant of Shivaji Maharaj, have called for an inquiry. Bhonsle has demanded the firing of the police personnel responsible for ordering the lathi charge.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promised the Maratha community to work towards securing reservations for them in government jobs and education. But Fadnavis has remained silent on the issue. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state's BJP president, accused Thackeray of failing to win the legal battle over Maratha reservations in the Supreme Court during his tenure as chief minister.
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