Will quit politics if CM says I am hindering Maratha quota process: Fadnavis in swipe at Jarange

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday countered allegations of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange and said he would quit politics if Chief Minister Eknath Shinde asserts that he was hindering the process to the give the community reservations.

Jarange is a strident critic of the senior BJP leader and has routinely accused him of being the main obstacle in the Maratha community's quest for reservations.

Stating sarcastically the he knew Jarange has "special affection" for him, Fadnavis said, "Should Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assert that my presence poses a hindrance to reaching a decision concerning the Maratha quota, I shall tender my resignation and withdraw from politics."

"We must not forget that a chief minister is the head of the state and is responsible for making all decisions. As citizens, we share the responsibilities. Decisions that benefitted the Maratha community were made either during my term as chief minister or under CM Eknath Shinde's tenure. Creating such a narrative deliberately is wrong," Fadnavis claimed at a press briefing here.

Jarange holds Fadnavis, also the state's home minister, responsible for the police lathicharge on Maratha quota activists in Antarwali Sarati in Jalna in August last year.