Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Sunday said he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who he accused of trying to kill him.
The announcement, made at the end of a speech of more than one hour in Antarwali Sarati in Jalna in which Jarange made several allegations against Fadnavis, took his supporters by surprise.
Asked about Jarange's statements later, Fadnavis just said "I did not hear what he spoke".
"Some people are being lured and pressured to make false allegations against me. Fadnavis is behind these conspiracies. He wants to kill me. I am ready to march to Sagar bungalow (Fadnavis' official residence in Mumbai's Malabar Hill) right away," Jarange said.
The announcement led to chaos at the site, where the activist's supporters had gathered in large numbers.
Even as some of them tried to take away his microphone, Jarange said he would march to Mumbai alone and all he needed was a stick for support.
He said allegations against him were levelled once the Maratha quota bill was passed in the Maharashtra legislature on February 20.
"How come these people realised my so-called mistakes now and began speaking about them," Jarange asked.
He also spoke about the "Brahminical tricks" of Fadnavis even while asserting that his allegations were not against "all Brahmins".
"Fadnavis does not like anyone to be more popular than him. It is because of Fadnavis that police complaints were filed against Maratha activists despite their peaceful protests. The court has allowed us to protest peacefully. Then why were police complaints filed," he told a regional news channel.
"I am not backing down from my demand to include Marathas in the OBC segment and issuing of Kunbi certificates. There was a plan to finish me by poisoning me with saline. This government is trying to demean major communities through political tricks," he alleged.
Hitting back, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane warned Jarange that he would have to cross a "huge wall of party workers" to reach Fadnavis, adding that the quota activist was "now reading from a script".
"He should enter politics but he should not stoop low to make such allegations against Fadnavis," Rane said.
Mumbai BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said Jarange's "true face" was now in the open for all to see.
"The Maharashtra government has given 10 percent reservation to the Maratha community (through a bill passed in the Legislature on February 20). Why is he continuing to protest? Fadnavis was CM for five years and everyone knows him. His image is not going to be affected by Jarange's allegations," Bhatkhalkar said.
Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said anyone speaking in this condemnable manner against Fadnavis must be careful.
He said the Eknath Shinde government had given 10 percent quota to the Maratha community and the BJP was always supportive of the move.
On Jarange's plans to march to Mumbai, Shelar said, "Everyone has the right to come to Mumbai. In fact, he is invited to a meeting here. The BJP is, however, capable of facing any political challenge posed by his protest."
Shelar also said it was "suspicious" how promptly opposition parties sought a probe into Jarange's allegations.
