Mumbai, Sept. 1 -- Leaders from the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances have started blaming each other for driving a wedge between Marathas and Other Backward Classes (OBCs), with an eye on reaping benefits in the upcoming local body polls. "The Mahayuti government just wants to create conflict between Marathas and OBCs," NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad alleged on Sunday while speaking to reporters. "This government knew about agitations, and deliberately allowed Marathas to come into Mumbai so that it could defame them and blame them for traffic jams and chaos." Manoj Jarange-Patil, who is leading the agitation seeking reservation benefits for Marathas under the 27% OBC quota, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai's Azad Maidan since Friday. More than 25,000 Marathas, mostly farmers from remote districts in Marathwada and Vidarbha, have been camping in the city since then, to pressure the government into accepting their demand. On Saturday, OBCs started a chain hunger strike in Nagpur, fearing the benefits available to them would shrink drastically if Marathas were included within the OBC quota. On Sunday, Uday Samant, minister for industries and Marathi language and member of the sub-committee on Maratha reservation, accused MVA leaders of backing Marathas for political gains. He said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had extended support to the Marathas with an eye on getting their votes in the upcoming local body polls. Samant also dared Pawar, Thackeray and other MVA leaders to issue a signed statement saying Marathas should be given reservation within the OBC quota. "If MVA leaders agree to the demand of Jarange to give reservation to Marathas within the OBC quota, let them issue a statement with signatures," the industries minister said. The Maratha vs OBC polarisation was evidenced when Raj Rajapurkar, president of the OBC cell of NCP (SP), met Jarange-Patil at Azad Maidan on Sunday. Several OBC leaders, including from MVA partners, slammed the NCP (SP) leader for meeting the Maratha quota activist and accused him of betraying the OBCs. Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjarri said Rajapurkar had made a mistake by meeting Jarange-Patil as it sent out a wrong message. Babanrao Taywade, president of the National OBC Mahasangh, claimed that since Rajapurkar had met Jarange-Patil, "we consider that he supports Jarange's demand." Rajpurkar defended the meeting, saying, "I met Manoj Jarange only to inquire about his health. BJP wants to create a conflict between OBCs and Marathas." While Jarange-Patil has said that the protest by Marathas will intensify over the next week, OBC leader and NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal has convened a meeting of OBC leaders across party lines in Mumbai on Monday. Bhujbal on Sunday reached out to a host of OBC leaders including Laxman Hake, Prakash Shendge, Babanrao Taywade and BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar, inviting them for Monday's meeting....