Mumbai: Maratha leader and Shiv Sangram chief Vinayak Mete, who died in a road accident on Sunday, has been a vocal supporter of reservation for the community. The former legislator was an alliance partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state and played a key role in rallying sections of the Maratha community behind the BJP.
Mete (52) was on his way from Beed to Mumbai to attend a review meeting called by the chief minister Eknath Shinde over the Maratha reservation when the mishap took place on Mumbai-Pune Expressway on early Sunday morning.
The two-term legislator from the state legislative council, Mete was among the most vocal voices of the Maratha community in the state. In 2008, Mete along with other activists from his outfit had attacked senior journalist Kumar Ketkar’s Thane residence for writing a satirical article in a Marathi daily against the then state government’s decision to construct a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea.
Known for spearheading protests for the Maratha reservation, Mete was also at the forefront of massive protests held by the Maratha community for two years in 2016 and 2017 seeking reservations in government jobs and education. Later, the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed him as head of a committee for executing an ambitious project to construct a grand memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea.
Mete started his career with BJP before the state assembly elections in 1995. He was BJP’s face from the politically significant Maratha community. He also formed a Maratha organization called ‘Shiv Sangram’ which was known for making aggressive statements. “When BJP decided to remove its tag of upper caste party and started social engineering, Mete was their face from the Maratha community and helped the party to bring them closer to Marathas,” said political analyst Abhay Deshpande.
He was also part of NCP for a few years and was made MLC in 2010. In 2014, his outfit joined hands with the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition over the Maratha reservation issue. He also contested the state assembly polls from the Beed constituency with the help of the BJP in 2014 but failed to get success. In 2016, he was elected MLC as a BJP candidate.
Senior political leaders cutting across party lines have expressed shock and grief over Mete’s untimely death. “His accidental death is extremely shocking and painful. With his demise, we have lost a voice of social movement, fearless leadership,” chief minister Eknath Shinde said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar also expressed grief at his demise. “His focus was more on social issues than political ones. He was more of a social activist than a political leader. It is a huge shock for us,” Pawar told a Marathi news channel.
“He constantly fought for the justice of brothers and sisters from the Maratha community. His untimely death is heartbreaking. May God give strength to his family to bear the loss,” said Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in a statement issued on Sunday.
