Due to the Maratha protests, police have advised motorists to expect traffic delays and potential disruptions when traveling to South Mumbai. (image:x.com/ClassyInPurple)
Mumbai, Maharashtra: The Maratha quota protest once began bought Maharashtra to standstill. The protest led by activist Manoj Jarange has entered fourth day on Monday (September 1). Jarange who has been staging an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai from Friday (August 29), has pledged to stop drinking water from Monday and said that he would even brave “bullets” for his demands.
The Maratha activist started the protest to demand a 10 percent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category and has announced he will not leave Mumbai until his demands are met.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Sunday said that it would seek a legal opinion on the matter. State Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the cabinet subcommittee on the Maratha reservation issue, carried two meetings pertaining to this.
Due to the Maratha protests, police have advised motorists to expect traffic delays and potential disruptions when traveling to South Mumbai, especially during Monday morning’s commute as government and private offices reopen.
Similarly, traders have expressed concerns over the ongoing Maratha agitation and sought intervention by the government or the High Court. They claimed that massive gathering at Azad Maidan has adversely affected south Mumbai weekend sales and markets, urged to restore normalcy and protect businesses.
After NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule visited Jarange at the protest venue on Sunday, demonstrators blocked her car and raised slogans against party chief Sharad Pawar. Following the incident, Sule called on the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government to address the Maratha reservation issue by holding a special session of the state legislature and an all-party meeting.
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Meanwhile, the TV Journalists Association has complained to activist Jarange after some of his supporters allegedly misbehaved with women reporters at the protest site. The association asserted that if such behavior continues, the media will boycott the protest.
(With inputs from PTI)
