MUMBAI: Amruta Fadnavis is usually known to speak her mind on issues. Just a day after the CM’s wife opposed religious curbs on participation in garba events, she reached out to Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange, describing him as her brother and inviting him home for a meal.Jarange, unrelenting in his criticism of Devendra Fadnavis amidst a hunger strike for Maratha quota, appeared restrained in his response. He said it was not the right time for him to visit the CM’s residence. However, if the offer was intended with “affection and compassion”, he would meet her during Bhaubeej, a festival after Diwali that celebrates the brother-sister bond. Jarange said he was determined to travel to Mumbai in coming days, but to press for his demands. He said he would spell out his plan on Sept 12. tnn & agenciesAmruta Fadnavis’s invitation to Jarange came as she spoke to reporters in Nagpur on Wednesday. Asked about the activist, she said, “Jarange Patilji is my brother, and I invite him for a meal at our home.”Manoj Jarange has been staging a hunger strike to demand reservation for the Maratha community under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. He has also been seeking issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community.“If the brother is agitating, the sister should not call at this moment for food. The brother will have a problem. The sister should think about it and call me on Bhaubeej…will go with a saree (for her), and this is my word,” Jarange said on Thursday. He said if someone speaks with good intention, there is no need to question it every time.“If you are calling me from the battlefield, then I have to accept defeat. If someone is saying something with a good feeling, there is no need to take it otherwise. But this is not the time to go on her invitation because the brother is currently fighting for the kids of poor people,” he added.Asked about no govt representatives coming to meet him, Jarange said he did not wait for anyone in the past three years of his agitation. “I am agitating on my own capacity. The (govt) delegation will behave according to the way it is guided. It is okay when there is one guide. If guides from various thought schools come together, it creates a mess.”Reiterating his plan, Jarange said, “I am definitely going to Mumbai and will declare the date on Sept 12. Nothing will be hidden.”
