Govt must provide Wankhede Stadium-like venue to Maratha quota protestors: MNS leader

Mumbai, Sep 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Bala Nandgaonkar on Monday suggested the state government provide a Wankhede Stadium-like venue for Marathas who have come to Mumbai for the quota stir led by activist Manoj Jarange.

Jarange has been on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai since Friday, asserting he would not leave the metropolis till the Maratha community is given a reservation.

Hundreds of Maratha community members have gathered at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and other areas in south Mumbai, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience to commuters.

Speaking to reporters, Nandgaonkar said, "Maratha protestors are roaming in the city, so people think it is causing inconvenience. Since the Azad Maidan space is small, my request to the government is that a Wankhede stadium-like venue be given to the protesters, so that they sit in one place and continue their agitation." This will also make protesters feel they are taken care of, and it will assuage Mumbaikars' anger, he said.

Wankhede Stadium has a capacity for 30,000 spectators.

Meanwhile, MNS leader Amit Thackeray, in a letter to his party workers, said Maratha protesters were "brothers" and they must be provided with food, water, and medicines.

He also asked partymen to take care of the security and accommodation of the agitators.

Not a single Maratha protestor should feel he is alone, Amit Thackeray said in the letter.

"Remember, even if their battle is for a reservation, they are our responsibility and as Maharashtra Sainiks, we will discharge our duties," he directed.

Amit Thackeray sought to take a reconciliatory position on the issue of Maratha protests in the city, a day after Jarange rebuked party president Raj Thackeray. PTI PR ARU