Rajkumar Badole

Amidst huge rallies being organised by the Maratha community following the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district in July come the controversial statements of social justice minister, Rajkumar Badole, creating added tension for chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mr Badole’s remarks about these rallies are receiving flak from several quarters. At the International Buddhist Festival in Aurangabad, he said, “Whoever comes up nowadays, stages protests and demands reservations. Their agitations draw crowds as they have more money.”

The minister further stated, “We also condemn the Kopardi incident. But if injustice is being done to scheduled castes and tribes in the name of Kopardi or on any other grounds, it will not be tolerated. I am even willing to resign as a minister on this issue.”

Not only has the Maratha community been holding rallies to protest the Kopardi incident, it has also been demanding review of the Atrocities Act during these demonstrations. Following Mr Badole’s statements, NCP MPs Udayanraje Bhosale and Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje demanded his expulsion from the state Cabinet.

“The Maratha rallies are being held peacefully. But Mr Badole has created a row with his comments. At a time when there is need to understand the feelings of the Maratha community, he is making fun of them. Now he will be responsible if any untoward incident occurs in the state,” said Mr Bhosale.

While Mr Sambhajiraje said, “He should be sacked from the Cabinet. Maratha rallies are being highly spoken about for their discipline but Mr Badole is making statements against them.”