Amid deteriorating health, Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on July 24 called off his hunger fast while granting the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government time till August 13 to fulfil his demands of granting reservation to the community under the Other Backward Class category.
Mr. Jarange-Patil, who had commenced yet another hunger strike (his fifth since September last year) in Maharashtra’s Jalna district since July 20, chastised Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis, accusing Mr. Fadnavis of conspiring against him and being the prime mover behind a non-bailable warrant (NBW) issued by a Pune court against the activist.
Mr. Jarange-Patil further alleged that Mr. Fadnavis was instigating a plot to “get him killed in jail” – a remark which drew derision from the BJP which alleged that the activist had “lost his mental balance.”
A Pune court on July 23 had issued an NBW against Mr. Jarange-Patil in connection with an alleged cheating case in 2013 after he failed to appear before the court.
Speaking in Jalna, the frail 41-year-old activist lashed out at Mr. Fadnavis, who is also Maharashtra’s Home Minister.
“He heads the Law and Judiciary Department. He gets the police to approach the court for issuing such warrants. He has made the police register a fabricated FIR against me. But I will not appear in court as I have not taken anyone’s money. If the courts and police are bowing before pressure exerted by Mr. Fadnavis, I will not respond to such a warrant,” Mr. Jarange-Patil said, claiming he had never defrauded anybody nor had done any wrong.
He further alleged that the Deputy CM had launched a campaign to put him in jail by framing him in a false case. A case under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) had been lodged against Mr. Jarange-Patil and two others in 2013.
“Mr. Fadnavis has launched a campaign to trap me in a case and put me in jail. He has given this task to some BJP leaders. They want to put me in jail and get me killed by their henchmen,” he alleged.
Reacting to Mr. Jarange-Patil’s allegations, BJP spokesperson Pravin Darekar said, “Manoj Jarange has lost his mental balance. He is making wild allegations. The Maratha community has lost faith in him. We will give him a fitting reply.”
The activist called off his fast after his health declined on July 23 night, remarking that “it was pointless to continue a fast with the aid of saline”.
Published - July 24, 2024 08:39 pm IST
