MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange on Tuesday claimed that violence in Nagpur was "sponsored" by the Mahayuti government and blamed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the unrest in the city.
They (government) are giving protection to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's grave (located in Chhatrapati Samabhajinagar district), and at the same time there is a demand (from right-wing outfits) for its removal, Jarange said, adding that people should see through it.
Violence erupted in central Nagpur on Monday evening, with stones hurled at police amid rumours that the holy book of a community was burnt during an agitation by a right-wing body for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb.
"This riot has been sponsored by government and Devendra Fadnavis," Jarange alleged while talking to reporters at Ellora in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
"They now don't see those who insulted Shivaji Maharaj," he said, in a veiled reference to actor Rahul Solapurkar and a Nagpur resident who have been accused of insulting the Maratha king.
The activist sought to know what happens to their Hindutva in such matters.
"Doing such things when the local body elections are around is not good," Jarange said.
"If they want to remove the Aurangzeb's grave, they are in power at the Centre and in the state. If the Congress made a mistake of protecting the structure earlier, now the rulers have a chance to correct it. This (violence) is just being done to make the poor people fight amongst themselves. The poor people should remain alert," he said.
If they want to remove the grave, they can do it "in a minute", the activist said.
"But the grave is given police protection by the state at the same time. People have the brain to understand this. The local governing body elections are around the corner. They (ruling parties) want to win the elections. They cannot solve issues plaguing the people, farmers and women," he claimed.
