The Maharashtra government stopped the release of water into the Jayakwadi dam on the pretext of law and order situation in the wake of the Maratha quota agitation, Congress leader and former chief minister Ashok Chavan claimed on Friday.

Chavan also posted a letter, purportedly written by an executive engineer of the Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation to the state Water Resources Department, on social media.

The release of water into the dam was suspended as per the government`s order in view of the law and order situation created by the Maratha quota agitation, the letter said.

The agitation had turned violent earlier this month.

“What is the connection between the release of water into the Jayakwadi dam and the ongoing Maratha quota stir? There should not be any attempt to defame the Maratha community`s agitation and delay the release of water for the Marathwada region,” Chavan said on X.

“This is a deliberate attempt to malign the Maratha quota agitation,” he alleged.

State minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan said the letter was “wrong” as the quota agitation and the release of water were unrelated issues.

Manoj Jarange, who is spearheading the quota agitation, also questioned the link between the two issues. “Water flowing into Jayakwadi is our own water. We have a right over it,” he said.

Jayakwadi is the largest reservoir in the central Maharashtra`s Marathwada region which is currently facing water scarcity due to a disappointing monsoon.

The Supreme Court had directed in the past that water from upstream reservoirs be released into the Jayakwadi project which supplies water to Marathwada.

Local activist Rajan Kshirsagar said the government`s decision was a violation of the basic rights of the people in the region. “The decision should be reversed immediately and water should be released for the parched Marathwada,” he told reporters.

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