Maratha quota stir: MLAs face ire of protesters, 2 Sena MPs quit; govt to talk to activist

MUMBAI: Amid an escalation in the Maratha quota protest, legislators in Maharashtra faced the heat as agitators targeted their homes and offices on Monday, while two Lok Sabha MPs of the ruling Shiv Sena resigned in support of the reservation demand as the state government scrambled to find a way out of the impasse.

Angry quota protesters torched, vandalised homes or offices of three MLAs -- two of the NCP and one of the BJP -- targeted a municipal council building and disrupted road traffic in different parts of the state, police said, adding no casualties were reported.

The incidents of violence and arson were reported from central Maharashtra's Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts even as Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange continued his indefinite fast in support of the reservation demand at a village in Jalna district.

Jarange's health condition worsened on the 6th day of the fast when he collapsed on the stage, prompting those present at the site to rush to his aid. On their request, he took a few sips of water. .

The residence of NCP MLA Solanke at Majalgaon town in Beed district was set on fire and stones were hurled at it by a group of quota agitators late in the morning, police said.

The group also set ablaze a car parked at the residence of Solanke after an audio clip of the MLA, in which he purportedly spoke about the Maratha quota agitation and made a veiled comment on the fasting quota activist Jarange, went viral.

It is not clear whether the Majalgaon MLA, who belongs to the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, was present inside the residence at the time of the incident at around 11 am.

"The incident occurred after an audio clip of MLA Solanke about the Maratha reservation issue went viral. A bandh was called locally. The house of the MLA and a car were torched by some people and stones were also hurled," an official told PTI.

In the audio clip, Solanke was purportedly heard saying that "the issue (the demand for reservation and the ultimatum of 40 days given to the government for its implementation by October 24) has become a child's game.

"The person, who has not even contested a gram panchayat election, has become a smart person today," he said in an apparent dig at Jarange.

Solanke told a news channel he was in Majalgaon when the incident occurred.

"Agitators surrounded my residence from all sides and nobody was in the mood to listen. Stones were thrown at my house and vehicles were also set on fire. I stand with the demand for the Maratha reservation. I have won the elections four times with the help of the Maratha community and I am a Maratha MLA," he said.

After the arson at the legislator's home, a group of Maratha reservation activists dispersed from there and later set ablaze the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Council building and vandalised it, another police official said.

The group, armed with wooden sticks and stones, first damaged the window panes of the building.

The vandals them went on the first floor of the building and torched it, burning down the furniture there, said the official.

Beed SP Nand Kumar Thakur said, "The mob that torched the residence of Prakash Solanke later moved to the municipal council of Majalgaon. They torched the first floor of the municipal council building. Police teams that quickly reached the civic office took people out well in time so there was no injury to anyone." Meanwhile, a group of Maratha quota activists barged into the residential premises and office of NCP MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed city and set them on fire in the evening, another official said.

Police swung into action and dispersed the crowd which had gathered outside the MLA's residence and the office, said the official.

A hotel located near Beed city was torched by the Maratha activists. They also blocked a stretch of the busy Samruddhi Expressway at Jalna due to which heavy traffic jam was witnessed on the Mumbai-bound lane of the carriageway, he said.

In a separate incident, protesters blocked the Solapur-Akkalkot Highway by placing burning tyres on the road, said the official.

Maratha quota supporters, armed with wooden sticks, vandalised the office of BJP MLA Prashant Bamb at Gangapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the police said.

They damaged window panes and furniture inside the office of the ruling party legislator, they said, adding two persons were detained for questioning.

Shiv Sena MPs from Nashik and Hingoli, both loyalists of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, have resigned in support of the Maratha reservation demand.

Hingoli MP Hemant Patil submitted his resignation to the Lok Sabha secretariat in New Delhi on Monday, while Nashik MP Hemant Godse sent his resignation letter to CM Shinde.

"As the Lok Sabha Speaker was not present in his office, my resignation letter was submitted to the office secretary. I have also received an acknowledgement," Patil told a Marathi news channel in New Delhi.

In Nashik, Shiv Sena MP Godse drafted his resignation letter when Maratha protesters observing a fast asked him to clarify his position on the issue.

He sent the resignation letter to CM Shinde and appealed to him to grant reservation to the Maratha community as soon as possible.

Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Shinde said 11,530 old records have the mention of Kunbi caste and fresh certificates will be issued from Tuesday.

Kunbis, a community associated with agriculture, are grouped under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category in Maharashtra and enjoy reservation benefits in education and government jobs.

The CM said a committee formed earlier to submit a report on how to issue Kunbi caste certificates to the Maratha community will submit its report on Tuesday which will be discussed in the cabinet.

Shinde said a three-member committee of experts will be set up to advise the state government on submission of a proposed curative petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the Maratha quota issue.

Reaching out to quota activist Jarange, Shinde said a government representative will hold talks with him on Tuesday. "The state government needs some time and he should give it to us," he said.

Shinde said Jarange should be careful about the course of the quota agitation, apparently referring to violence in some places.

Jarange, addressing the media at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, urged protesters to refrain from engaging in violence and arson.

The activist expressed concern over the recent incidents of violence and arson, emphasizing that such actions tarnish the image of their protest.

Jarange, however, asserted Marathas should be given reservation under the OBC category in the entire state and not just in some regions.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule demanded the resignation of deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfoio, over the Maratha quota violence.

Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Sule said, “Maharashtra home minister (Fadnavis) should resign. Look at the violence. What is happening in the state? A house of an MLA was set ablaze. A Panchayat Samiti office was also torched. Is anyone looking into these incidents."? At least 13 MSRTC buses have been damaged in the last 48 hours, including four on Monday, in the Maratha quota stir, leading the state-run transport corporation to shut operations in 30 of its 250 depots, an official said.