Uddhav accuses Maharashtra govt of failing to provide facilities to Maratha protesters

Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday accused the Maharashtra government of failing to provide basic facilities to Maratha protesters in the city and appealed to his party workers to help them access water, food, and toilets.

Thackeray also spoke to Maratha quota movement leader Manoj Jarange over the phone when his party colleague Ambadas Danve visited the activist at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai.

The former chief minister has already extended support to Jarange’s agitation.

“From every corner of Maharashtra, our Marathi brethren have gathered in Mumbai, numbering in the thousands. Braving rain, water, and mud, they are struggling for their just demands.

“The government has failed to provide them with basic facilities. In such times, I appeal to all Shiv Sainiks to stand united and work tirelessly to provide water, food, and toilet facilities to these brothers and sisters. This is our Maharashtra Dharma,” Thackeray said.

Jarange, who has been on hunger strike since Friday, has been demanding a 10 per cent quota for Marathas under the Other Backward Class 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 Maratha protesters, who have arrived in south Mumbai from across the state, have complained about the lack of basic amenities and the unavailability of water and food at the venue.

Mumbai has been witnessing rains since Friday morning, due to which the protesters have been facing difficulties.

As puddles formed at the sprawling protest venue due to overnight showers, agitators gathered at the junction outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in the morning, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Many of them complained of the unavailability of food, alleging that the government had shut down shops around the protest site. They also claimed that the ground lacked adequate facilities to ensure their safety and hygiene.

A large number of protesters are camping in and around the CSMT, located close to the protest site. Several of them are seen cooking food by the roadside.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday afternoon claimed that it had put two truckloads of gravel in Azad Maidan and provided necessary civic amenities.

Regular cleaning is being carried out at the protest site and surrounding areas by sanitation workers, and a medical help desk has been set up to provide healthcare services. Four medical teams and two ambulances are operational 24/7 in the area, it said. PTI PR NR