Beed: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil caused a stir on Tuesday when he asked Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde whether he had taken Rs 500 crore from the BJP to "silence" him.
Speaking at a Dussehra rally in Beed district, Mr. Jarange-Patil said he had heard that the Deputy Chief Minister had told the BJP leadership that it should pay Rs 500 crore to him. "I want to know from Eknath Shinde whether this is true. Has he paid me Rs 500 crore? It is claimed that he paid me Rs 500 crore through his son Shrikant Shinde. Rs 500 crore is not a small amount. This is a big conspiracy against me. Shinde should reply to my question either in today's Dussehra rally or by tomorrow," he said.
The activist said he would reveal proof for the claim. "I have proof of this claim with me, and I can reveal it. This proof will shake the ground under your feet. I heard about this conspiracy during my hunger strike in Antarwali-Saraati," he added.
Mr. Jarange-Patil alleged that a plot was being hatched to isolate the Maratha community, with deliberate attempts to harass and inflict pain. "We are fighting firmly. We are gradually marching towards victory. Those who go against the community will never be spared," he said.
He also spoke about the need to tackle the drought situation effectively. If a crisis has befallen the Maratha community, it must come together to combat it, he said, adding that the drought was likely to become more severe in the coming days.
The charge adds to the running friction between the quota activist and the State's ruling coalition, and puts a fresh question before the Deputy Chief Minister.