Voluntary Groups Rush Food And Water To Support Maratha Protest

The protestors supporting Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil have started receiving more than just moral backing from parts of Maharashtra. After news became viral that a large number of them, who have come from across the state, were finding it difficult to find food and water, voluntary groups in the countryside have risen to the occasion. For instance, 5000 water bottles and over 10000 bhakris (jowar roti) were collected within three hours of a social call in Baramati, the Pawar clan’s hometown. The collection will go on till Jarange’s agitation for pressing the demand for reservations for the Maratha caste continues in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Women belonging to the Maratha Kranti Morcha are leading this initiative. ‘One tiffin from one house’ was the appeal made in Kopargaon in Ahilyanagar district. In response, bhakaris, rotis, groundnut chutney and water bottles started pouring in. Soon, a truckload of food and water was dispatched to Mumbai. The organisers said that people belonging to all castes and religions had contributed to this effort. The gesture is receiving compliments from all around. The paucity of food and water was felt since the turnout for the protest action was beyond anyone’s imagination. The rural folk, not familiar with Mumbai, started searching for food and water. Local eateries, overwhelmed by these crowds, downed their shutters as a precaution. When this was flashed by TV news channels, voluntary food mobilisation efforts took off, in a bid to support the agitation.