In a fresh twist to Maharashtra’s ongoing political drama, veteran NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal has sparked controversy by pointing fingers at some MLAs from Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) faction. He claims they played a role in the violent clashes at Antarwali-Sarati village in Jalna district back in September 2023—an incident that catapulted Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil into the spotlight amid the heated Maratha reservation stir.
Speaking at a meeting of the All India Mahatma Phule Samta Parishad in Nagpur, Bhujbal recalled how Jarange-Patil had launched at least 25 hunger strikes earlier, but no one paid much attention. Things changed two years ago during one such protest. “He refused to go to the hospital even when police urged him,” Bhujbal said. But the night before the chaos, a meeting took place with some NCP (SP) MLAs present. Stones got stockpiled at the site, police faced attacks, and a lathi charge followed. “Back then, nobody knew Jarange-Patil, but this NCP (SP) backing gave him the boost he needed,” Bhujbal added, without naming anyone specific.
Bhujbal faced quick backlash, especially from Sharad Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. She urged him to share any solid evidence with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also oversees the home department. On Friday, Bhujbal cleared the air, insisting he never accused Pawar directly. “Everything I said is on video,” he stated.
Responding with respect, Sule called Bhujbal a fatherly figure she holds dear. “With folded hands, I request Bhujbal ji to reveal the meeting details—who attended, when and where it happened,” she said. She emphasized handing over such info to the home ministry for proper action. Sule also took a light dig at his political shifts: from praising Shiv Sena’s Balasaheb Thackeray, to following Sharad Pawar for 20 years, and now aligning with Fadnavis. “That’s democracy—everyone gets to speak their mind,” she noted.
The row didn’t stop there. NCP (SP)’s OBC unit chief Raj Rajapurkar hit back harder, crediting Pawar for shaping Bhujbal’s image as an OBC leader. “Without Sharad Pawar, Bhujbal wouldn’t be known as an OBC face today,” Rajapurkar said. He challenged Bhujbal’s concern for OBC communities: “If he’s truly worried about needy OBCs, he should donate his properties to them.” Rajapurkar even accused Bhujbal of taking a “supari” (hit job) from rivals to target Pawar.
As Maharashtra’s reservation debates and party rivalries simmer, this exchange highlights the deep rifts within NCP circles and the spotlight on OBC-Maratha tensions.
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