Jailed OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal's supporters flex muscles

As Maharastra's former Deputy Chief Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal marked almost seven months in custody, around two million of his supporters from all over India took to the streets of this city on Monday seeking his release.

Bhujbal, who is also President of the Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad -- an all-India other backward caste (OBC) organisation -- was arrested on March 14 in connection with several cases pertaining to alleged corruption, money-laundering and land deals and has remained in custody since.

The protesters, sporting masks and tee-shirts with Bhujbal's pictures, carried banners and placards demanding his release from custody and an end to political conspiracies and what they called a witchunt by state and central investigating agencies against him.

The organisers claimed the support of several senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including former state Minister Eknath Khadse, Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde and Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde, in their capacity as OBC leaders, besides the supporters of former Union minister, the late Gopinath Munde.

The pictures of these leaders -- without indicating party affiliation -- were prominently put up at various spots along the route of the procession, but both Khadse and Munde did not personally join the marchers, said Bhujbal's spokesperson Deepak Gangurde.

After Bhujbal's arrest in March, OBC politics had almost been pushed to the backburner and he was virtually forgotten by his followers. But the success of ongoing agitation by the Maratha community over the past one month -- and his upcoming birthday on October 15 -- prompted his supporters to announce today's massive procession.

Last month, several top BJP, NCP and OBC leaders started calling on the ailing Bhujbal, who is convalescing in Sir J.J. Hospital, and the route map for Monday's mammoth event was reportedly chalked out as a "birthday present".

The seven-km-long procession in torrential rain, saw participation of representatives and supporters from various OBC groups and organisations across India and later full clean-up operations were conducted.

A delegation went to the collector and submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, raising several demands of the OBCs as a show of strength and support for the jailed two-time deputy Chief Minister who enjoyed a close personal rapport with Gopinath Munde.

--IANS

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