MLA Rohit Patil seeks facilities, security for Maratha quota protesters in Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) NCP (SP) MLA from Sangli district Rohit Patil has urged the Maharashtra government to ensure adequate facilities and security for Maratha quota protestors staging their agitation at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

“The Maratha community’s agitation for reservation is continuing across the state, and a large number of protesters have gathered at Azad Maidan. It is the government’s responsibility to uphold democratic values and provide basic amenities to the people raising their voice,” Patil wrote in a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The legislator, who represents the Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency, wrote in the letter on Friday that necessary arrangements must be made to avoid inconvenience to the protesters and to ensure their safety.

He appealed to the government to take the matter seriously and act with sensitivity.

Activist Manoj Jarange has been on a hunger strike at the Azad Maidan since Friday to press for a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. He wants Marathas to be recognised as Kunbis, an agrarian caste included in the OBC category, which will make them eligible for reservation, though OBC leaders are opposed to it.

Thousands of his supporters have arrived in the metropolis from across the state, but several of them have complained about the lack of basic amenities and the unavailability of water and food at the venue. PTI ND NR