"Amit Shah should take responsibility": Sanjay Raut advocates for dialogue amid Maratha quota row

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 31 (ANI): As the Maratha agitation intensifies over demands for reservation, Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday took a jibe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that he should take responsibility and have a dialogue with activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who is on a hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan.
"The entire issue of reservations falls under the purview of the Home Ministry, so they should go and meet Jarange Patil. Thousands of people are protesting on the streets. The entire city of Mumbai has come to a standstill. He should leave his ego and take responsibility," Raut told reporters here.
The Shiv Sena UBT stated that the court shouldn't intervene in the matter of extending the protest, as it remains between the government and those demanding the Marathi reservation.
"If the Maratha community leader Jarange Patil's protest in Mumbai has been extended by one day, it is not a favour. If we (Marathi people) have to protest in Mumbai, the court should not intervene in it. It is between the government and us. Thousands of people have come from all over Maharashtra, and the protest is going on peacefully," Raut said.
Putting the onus on the Mahayuti government, the Rajya Sabha MP said that it was the responsibility of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to end the protest and talk to Jarange Patil directly at Azad Maidan. He warned that without dialogue, the situation could get worse.
"The talks should also be held with leaders of prominent opposition parties in Maharashtra. If this doesn't happen, the situation will worsen," Raut said.
Meanwhile, traffic remained affected near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai, where activists from Maratha community are continuing their protest, demanding reservation.
On Friday, Jarange Patil was granted time till August 30 to continue his protest at Azad Maidan. The Maratha reservation activist intensified his indefinite hunger strike over his demand to include all Marathas under the Kunbi category, a sub-caste classified under the OBC category, which will help the community avail benefits of the reservation in goverment jobs and education.
Earlier, addressing thousands of supporters, Jarange accused the Maharashtra government of failing to address the community's demands and said that protests will happen irrespective of what the Fadnavis government decides regarding permission for agitation.
"If the government enters our territory, the Marathas will enter theirs. I asked the youth to clear Mumbai, and they arranged everything and cleared the city. What more cooperation do you need? Poor kids have come here. What's their fault? They don't have any facilities. If you cause us trouble, we will cause you trouble when we come there," Jarange said.
Patil is known for his advocacy on Marathi reservation issues. He has urged supporters to rally peacefully and called on authorities to address community concerns regarding reservation policies. He has held multiple protest rallies and hunger strikes demanding reservations for the Maratha community ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections in 2024.
After the agitation, on February 20, 2024, the Eknath Shinde-led government in the state brought a Bill to extend 10 per cent reservation to Marathas above the 50 per cent mark cap. However, on May 5, 2021, the Supreme Court struck down reservations for the Maratha community in colleges, higher educational institutions, and jobs, after noting that there was no valid ground to breach the 50 per cent reservation while granting Maratha reservation. (ANI)