As a warm-up to their massive showdown with the Maharashtra Government planned in Nagpur next month, Maratha community members took out a massive “motor bike” rally in the State capital here on Sunday to demand among other things reservations in Government jobs and educational admissions.
Ahead of the biggest-ever “silent” morcha that they have planned to take out during the Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature in Nagpur on December 14, the Maratha Kranti Morcha–an apolitical outfit that is spreading an agitation of an unprecedented scale in the State over the Maratha reservations issue –flexed its muscles in the metropolis, by taking out a large “motor-bike” rally from Sion in north-central Mumbai to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) in south Mumbai.
Though the event organisers claimed that more than 50,000 motor-bicycles participated in the rally that began at the KJ Somaiya grounds at 10 am, an estimated 20,000 motor-bicycles hit the city roads during the rally that saw the agitators drive their way to the CST through Matunga, Parel, lalbaug and Byculla.
The motor bike-riding agitators, carrying saffron flags, were planning to culminate their rally at the historic Gateway of India, which is less than a kilometer away from Mantralaya (State Secretariat).
However, with the police refusing them permission to proceed their proposed destination, the Maratha community members wound up their “silent” rally at the CST at 1 pm, by paying tribute to Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji and homage to the 15-year-old Maratha girl who was raped and murdered at Kopardi in Ahmednagar district in July this year.
like all the mammoth “silent” rallies held so far across the State, Sunday’s “motor bicycle” rally passed off in a most disciplined and peaceful manner. While every motor-bicycle rider wore a helmet, the pillion rider wore a saffron turban and carried a flag of the same colour.
Being a Sunday, the Maratha rally did not affect Mumbaikars in a big way. However, not wanting to take any chances, the city police diverted buses on at least 11 routes and other vehicles from the designated rally route, to facilitate passage of the cavalcade of 20,000-odd vehicles from KJ Somaiya ground at Sion to CST in downtown Mumbai.
Among the agitators, there were at least 35 women motorbike riders – both in traditional and modern dresses, while 60 to 70 young women sat behind male motor-bike riders.
Interacting with the media persons, one of the event organisers Rajan Ghag claimed that more than 50,000 motorbikes had participated in the rally.
“Through today’s rally, we would like to send a message to the Maharashtra government that we are in no mood to rest till all our demands are met. We intend to organise the biggest-ever silent rally in Nagpur on December 14. And if the State Government does not agree to our demands in the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature, we plan to hold a ‘Maha morcha’ in Mumbai,” Ghag said.
Though no agitator carried any political flag in the rally, city BJP president Ashish Shellar claimed that his party activists participated in the rally.
On his part, State Education Minister and “Maratha Arakshan Samiti” (Maratha Reservation Committee) chairman Vinod Tawade congratulated the Maratha Kranti Morcha leaders for organising “massive” and a “disciplined” motorbike rally in Mumbai on Sunday. “I compliment the Maratha Kranti Morcha leaders for organising motorbike rally in such a grand and disciplined manner,” Tawade said in a statement.
The Maratha Kranti Morcha has since the fir so far organized massive “silent” rallies in at least 25 district headquarters and major towns across Maharashtra. The agitators have among other things been demanding reservations in education and jobs for Maratha community members, scrapping of the “misused SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, initiation of stern action against the culprits behind the gang-rape and murder of a 15-year-old Maratha girl at Ahmednagar district in July this year.