Amruta Fadnavis invites 'brother' Manoj Jarange to home for meal amid his fast

Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Wednesday described Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil as her brother and invited him to her home for a meal.

Her remarks came amid Jarange's ongoing agitation for reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes category.

Jarange has been agitating for the past 13 days at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. He is demanding reservation for the Maratha community under the OBC category. He has also sought implementation of the Hyderabad and Satara Gazette records, and the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community.

Asked about Jarange and his protest, Amruta Fadnavis told reporters, "Jarange Patil ji is my brother and I invite him to come for a meal at our home." She was speaking on the sidelines of a programme in Nagpur on Wednesday night.

Amid the protest over the Maratha quota, CM Fadnavis on Tuesday said the government would grant whatever is permissible under the Constitution, but would not take from one community's share to give another.

"We will do everything that is possible. We have never closed the doors for dialogue. A government finds a solution through discussions, and the entire process is moving forward in that spirit," he said.

On the issue of Navratri celebrations, Amruta Fadnavis said Navratri and garba were very good ways to give people a glimpse of the Hindu religion, and called for introducing the world to its uniqueness.

She also said festivals are inclusive and there is nothing wrong if a Muslim person attends celebrations. The comments came after state minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane backed the Vishva Hindu Parishad's call to bar Muslims from Navratri events.

Last week, the VHP announced that Muslims would not be allowed entry to garba and dandiya venues across Maharashtra during the Navratri festival, which begins on October 11.