Nagpur: Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar on Thursday said Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange has brought the govt to its knees and the compromise reached between the two may threaten OBC quota.Jarange on Thursday called off his march to Mumbai and also ended his fast after meeting with a govt delegation. Wadettiwar questioned the timing. “Why did Jarange, who had set out with such intensity, suddenly stop? Was the govt scared, or was Jarange scared?” he said, adding that details of the discussion between the two parties should be made public.Wadettiwar, a prominent OBC face in the state, alleged that Jarange’s stir might have started because CM Devendra Fadnavis put on hold contracts worth Rs1,400 crore which were given to the Maratha activist’s aides. While not providing any documentary evidence during the media briefing in Nagpur, Wadettiwar said, “I wonder if this angered Jarange and he decided to head towards Mumbai. Both the govt and Jarange are scared of each other, so this compromise is a result of mutual fear, nothing else.”The Congress MLA reiterated that OBC members have no objection to Maratha reservation as long as it does not come from their existing share.While Wadettiwar said that OBC quota might get hit due to Jarange’s ‘compromise’ with the govt, BJP MLC Parinay Fuke said that was not the case. “There never was and never will be any threat to OBC quota. No decision has been taken to give quota to the Maratha community out of the OBC share. CM Fadnavis had promised representatives of various OBC organisations that their reservation would not be touched under any circumstances,” said Fuke.
