Maha Dy Speaker, other tribal leaders jump onto Mantralaya net to oppose ST status to Dhangars
Mumbai, Oct 4: Tribal leaders, including Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, protesting against the demand to include the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribe list, on Friday jumped from the third floor of Maharashtra state secretariat Mantralaya on the safety net just a floor below.
No injuries were reported in the incident that saw tense moments unfolding at the six-storey Mantralaya complex.
Zirwal, his fellow Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Kiran Lahamate and BJP tribal MP Hemant Savara were among those who jumped from the third floor onto the safety net installed on the second floor, a precaution taken in response to previous suicide attempts at the site.
The incident occurred around 12.40 pm, a police official said.
The protest, which involved two MLAs and an MP from the ruling Mahayuti alliance, highlighted escalating tensions over the government's handling of tribal issues.
After the police personnel removed these leaders from the net, these tribal representatives then gathered in the ground floor passage and began a sit-in claiming that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was not meeting them to discuss the quota issue.
Dhangar or shepherd community in the state is demanding ST category inclusion for the purpose of reservation. But Zirwal and other tribal leaders are protesting against this demand.
"I am an adivasi first and then an MLA and a deputy speaker," Zirwal told reporters when asked what led him to resort to such a protest.
"CM Shinde should meet the protesters," he added.
BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar said Zirwal holds a constitutional post and there is no need to take such an extreme step.
Zirwal said the state government should offer protection to students who have been protesting since a fortnight against the halt to recruitment under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) in Maharashtra.
Speaking in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar about the incident, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said, "Zirwal is in the government and a responsible person...The protesters should have spoken to other leaders who are present there. The chief minister meets everyone after the cabinet meeting. Instead of doing such agitations, they should have spoken to the CM first. This kind of protest by Zirwal is unacceptable."
"Caste-related agitations are going on across the state. The CM and two deputy CMs do hold talks with those who wish to discuss issues," he said.
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Centre spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print media ads for RSS centenary, reveals RTI
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.
The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.
Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.
“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.
RTI reply shows Min of Culture Govt of India spent a Whopping Rs 76L,13K,129 on Advertisement in Print Media on occasion of 100 yrs of #RSS
— AJAY Basudev Bose (@AjayBos93388306) April 16, 2026
When Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??@RSSorg… pic.twitter.com/dW4IUtdNCg
Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”
Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.
In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”
"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added.
Why is public money being used to serve a private ideological project?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) April 16, 2026
Modi Sarkar spent ₹76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS.
Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to… pic.twitter.com/EoZ6Pim3IM
According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.
Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.
