Raj Thackeray meets protesters amid Maratha reservation demand

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday expressed his support for protesters demanding reservation for Maratha community in Jalna, Maharashtra.

agitation took a violent turn as authorities attempted to transfer Manoj Jarange, a protester on hunger strike, to a hospital. In response, police resorted to lathi-charge and fired tear gas shells, leing to clashes between protesters and law wnforcement officials. This resulted in injuries to several individuals, including 40 police personnel. Moreover, more than 15 state transport buses were set ablaze during clashes. Over 360 people have been booked in connection with violence, according to police reports.

Thackeray's visit to Antarwali Sarathi village in Jalna demonstrated his solidarity with Maratha community's cause. dressing protesters, he condemned use of force by leers who h ordered lathi-charges against m. He said, "Leers seek your votes and n abandon you. agitators should not allow entry of those leers into Marathwa who ordered attack with lathis and held agitators at gunpoint. This should continue until leers apologise."

While interacting with protesters at Jamkhed Phata, Thackeray stressed on importance of dressing Maratha community's concerns. He pledged to examine legal aspects of ir demands and engage with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to find a resolution to issue. Thackeray warned that marks of lathis on agitators should be remembered when elections are round corner. He ded, "Earlier, politicians promised a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Arabian Sea (off Mumbai coast) and took your votes. But after taking your votes, y ignore your issues."

Responding to situation, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fnavis called on opposition not to politicise issue. Thackeray countered this by suggesting that Fnavis would have taken a similar stance if he were in opposition.

Meanwhile, BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde, who embarked on her Shiv Shakti Yatra from Aurangab, acknowledged gravity of situation. She called for an impartial inquiry into incident and emphasised that reservation issue for Marathas be approached as a constitutional matter rar than a political one.

In midst of se developments, tensions remain high in Jalna, with ditional police deployments in response to stone-pelting incidents in Osmanab. Special Inspector General Dnyaneshwar Sashiv Chavan appealed for peace, expressing concerns for well-being of both police and public on September 3. He called for an end to violence and protection of public property.

(With PTI inputs)