Bhujbal vs Jarange Patil verbal duel escalates amid Maratha quota stir

Mr. Bhujbal said he had not spoken against Mr. Jarange Patil until Beed district had erupted in arson and violence in October this year

NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) Leader and Cabinet Minister Chhagan Bhujbal at his official residence in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI

Targeting Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, Maharashtra Minister and other backward class (OBC) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday alleged there was a serious threat to his life even as Mr. Jarange Patil continued to vent spleen against Mr. Bhujbal, demanding that he should not be vested with more powers.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly during a debate on the Maratha reservation issue, Mr. Bhujbal, who belongs to the ruling Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction, said that a police report had cautioned him of a major threat to his life.

“A police report stated I could be shot…Preparations are on for an attack on me. After the  houses of [NCP legislators] Prakash Solanke and Sandeep Kshirsagar were torched in Beed, my personal security was increased,” Mr. Bhujbal, who has emerged as Mr. Jarange Patil’s bitterest critic, said.

Stating that he had never opposed reservation for the Maratha community, Mr. Bhujbal, in a thinly-veiled allusion to Mr. Jarange Patil, alleged there had been a concerted attempt to tarnish his reputation  

“I am not opposed to Maratha reservation in the least, merely to rule by the mob. All castes and communities are equal for me. All I am saying that give the Marathas a quota without harming OBC reservation. Nobody is opposed to this suggestion, be it the Congress, or Sharad Pawar or CM Eknath Shinde. So, if everyone is saying the same thing, why only am I being singled out and targeted?” he said.

Mr. Bhujbal further said he had remained silent and not spoken against Mr. Jarange Patil until Beed district had erupted in arson and violence in October this year, during the height of the Maratha quota agitation.

“Prakash Solankhe’s home was torched, several OBC establishments were set ablaze. Petrol bombs were thrown at Jaydutt Kshirsagar’s residence. Their relatives were saved by Muslim community,” he said, accusing Mr. Jarange Patil as being responsible for the vandalism and arson and for dividing the OBC and Maratha communities.

In response, the Maratha quota activist snapped back, remarking that Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis should not give Mr. Bhujbal any more powers in order to maintain harmony between OBCs and Marathas.

“Bhujbal is an old man who does not know anything. He keeps on creating discord between Marathas and OBCs. Mr. Fadnavis should rein him in else it will only serve to tarnish his [Fadnavis’] reputation,” Mr. Jarange Patil said while speaking in Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad.