Black flags, slogans welcome Bhujbal on his visit to Nashik

NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal faced opposition from Maratha community during his tour of villages affected by unseasonal rains in Nashik district. He was opposed for his stand on Maratha reservation issue. He was shown black flags and slogans were raised against him. He managed to visit few villages and had to cut short his tour due to the opposition. He assured to make efforts to get special funds approved for the farmers and urged not to bring politics in it.

Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal faced opposition from members of the Maratha community on Thursday as they raised slogans against him and showed black flags during his tour of villages hit by unseasonal rains in Nashik district over his stand on the Maratha reservation issue.

Although Mr. Bhujbal met farmers at a few villages in the district, he had to cut short his visit to some other villages due to the stiff opposition by the Maratha community.

Mr. Bhujbal has been opposing the Shinde-led Maharashtra government’s plan to include Marathas in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community to give the benefit of reservation to them. The Minister has repeatedly targeted Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, triggering a war of words between the two. Mr. Bhujbal’s views have angered the Maratha community.

Mr. Bhujbal, an OBC leader belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has said that he was not against reservation for the Maratha community, but that it should not be given at the cost of other communities.

Ahead of the tour by the Food and Civil Supplies Minister to the villages in his Assembly constituency Yeola in Nashik district, a man from Somthandesh village called and urged him not to visit the place as he would face opposition by the local Marathas. A video clip of the man’s phone call went viral on social media.

Nonetheless, Mr. Bhujbal visited the village, where the Maratha community members opposed him. They later sprinkled gomutra (cow urine) on the road used by Mr. Bhujbal, saying it was aimed at “purifying” the place.

People from the Maratha community also gathered at the Vinchur Chaufuli intersection in Yeola town and shouted slogans against the Minister. They raised ‘Bhujbal Go Back’ and ‘Ek Maratha, Lakh Maratha’ slogans. Due to this, Mr. Bhujbal was forced to change his route, sources said.