MUMBAI, Aug. 30 -- The Opposition-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance came out in full support of Maratha activist Manoj Jarange-Patil, with MLAs and MPs from its three parties meeting him on Friday. Even as he faced widespread criticism for bringing South Mumbai to a halt, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray sought to justify his action, asking sarcastically whether Marathas in Maharashtra were expected to go to Surat and Guwahati to protest. It was not just the opposition-leaders from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP also met Jarange-Patil to extend their support. Prakash Solanke and Vijaysinh Pandit met the activist at Azad Maidan while Sana Malik welcomed him when he entered the city at Chembur. As he began his hunger strike at Azad Maidan along with a huge crowd of Marathas, several opposition MVA leaders such as the NCP (SP)'s Bajrang Sonawane, Bhaskar Bagare, Nilesh Lanke, Abhijit Patil and Sandeep Kshirsagar, and the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Ambadas Danve, Omraje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Jadhav and Kailash Patil called on him. Suresh Dhas was the only BJP MLA who met Jarange-Patil, assuring him that he would speak to the chief minister and request him to resolve the issue. The majority of elected representatives who visited Azad Maidan were from the Marathwada region, where Jarange-Patil has significant support. Meanwhile, CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde pointed a finger at the MVA, declaring that the alliance had failed to protect the reservation given to Marathas by their government earlier. Fadnavis also alleged that "some people" were trying to create tensions between Marathas and OBCs. Speaking to media persons at his residence, Thackeray took a dig at Fadnavis, saying that the statement was actually aimed at persons in the Mahayuti government (read Shinde). "Considering what is going on in the government and in the Mahayuti alliance, who is Fadnavis pointing to?" he asked. Thackeray said that Marathi people were entitled to come to Mumbai to demand their rights, and justified Jarange-Patil's decision to hold a protest in Mumbai, saying that the city, as the capital of Maharashtra, belonged to Marathi people. "Marathi people have come to Mumbai to seek their rights and not to create trouble," he declared. "It is the responsibility of the state government to resolve the issue." The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief censured the Mahayuti government and Shinde in particular for not fulfilling the quota promises made to the Maratha community. "Those who took the oath of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and promised to give reservation to the Maratha community have now run away?" he questioned....