A group of women from the Jeejau brigade locked themselves inside the house of parliamentary affairs minister and started sloganeering for Maratha reservation.
The Democratic Front government on Wednesday got a taste of women power. A group of women from the Jeejau brigade locked themselves inside the house of parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil and started sloganeering for Maratha reservation.
The minister was at Mantralaya when more than 15 women, mostly of higher middle-class background, walked to Patil’s bungalow opposite Mantralaya on the pretext of meeting him for some discussions. The official staff at the bungalow let the women in without verifying their credentials. But the women immediately bolted the doors and started shouting for Maratha reservations.
Patil was forced to leave the meeting mid-way after he was told of the incident. He pleaded with the women to open the doors.
One of the staff from inside the bungalow said the women “created havoc”. “Their
voices were deafening. One of them threatened to set herself on fire if the government did not concede to their demand of reservations for Marathas,” he said.
Though policemen encircled the bungalow, they were ordered not to touch anyone or forcibly evict the women as it could lead to more problems for the government.
Chief minister Ashok Chavan sent a message to the group that he was willing to talk with them. After much persuasion and a few telephone calls, some five to six women agreed to meet the chief minister.
Women cabinet minister Shobha Bachao was sent to get them to Chavan’s chamber on the sixth floor inside the Mantralaya. The group’s leader Jayshree Shelke and few others went to meet Chavan while the rest remained inside the bungalow.
Patil managed to get into his bungalow late in the evening. The minister, however, did not lodge a complaint with the police.
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