My Dear Raj,
My apologies for having to communicate through the editorial pages of a newspaper, but frankly am left with little choice since you seem to have decided to stay away from the so-called 'national' non-Marathi media. Let me at the very outset say that I am impressed with the manner you have carved a niche on the political landscape of Maharashtra. I distinctly remember meeting you in February last year soon after the Mumbai municipal corporation elections. It wasn't the best of times: your party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had been marginalized while your cousin Udhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena had captured power in the city. With many of your supporters deserting you, you appeared down, if not quite out. Twenty months later, I see you've bounced back: every local and national daily has you on the front page, you are the subject of television debates and your politics has even united Bihar's warring netas.
And yet, my friend, there is a thin line between fame and notoriety, more so in the fickle world of politics. Bashing north Indian students may grab the headlines, getting arrested may even get you sympathy and strident rhetoric will always have a constituency, but will it be enough to secure your ultimate dream of succeeding your uncle Bal Thackeray as the flagbearer of Marathi asmita (pride)?
If Balasaheb in the 1960s rose to prominence by targeting the south Indian "lungiwala", you have made the north Indian "bhaiyaa" the new 'enemy'. In the 1960s, the Maharashtrian middle class in Mumbai was feeling the pressure of job competition for white collar clerical jobs. Today, it seems that there is a similar sense of frustration at losing out economically and culturally to other social groups in Mumbai's endless battle for scarce resources. With the Congress and the NCP having become the real estate agents of the state's rural-urban bourgeoise and the Shiv Sena a pale shadow of its original avatar, the space has been created for a charismatic leader to emerge as a rabble-rouser espousing the sons of the soil platform.
But Raj, I must remind you that electoral politics is very different from street agitations. Sure, round the clock coverage of taxis being stoned and buses being burnt will get you instant recognition. Yes, your name may inspire fear like your uncle's once did. And perhaps there will always be a core group of lumpen youth who will be ready to do your bidding. But how much of this will translate into votes? Identity politics based on hatred and violence is subject to the law of diminishing returns, especially in a city like Mumbai, the ultimate melting pot of commerce. Your cousin Udhav tried a "Mee Mumbaikar" campaign a few years ago that was far more inclusive, but yet was interpreted as being anti-migrant. The result was that the Shiv Sena lost the 2004 elections - Lok Sabha and assembly - in its original citadel of Mumbai. Some statistics suggest that nearly one in every four Mumbaikars is now a migrant from UP or Bihar. Can any political party afford to alienate such a large constituency in highly competitive elections?
Maybe, your not even looking at winning seats at the moment, but simply staking claim to the Sena legacy in a post Bal Thackeray scenario. Perhaps, thats exactly what the ruling Congress-NCP combine in Maharashtra wants: like a market leader who gets competing brands to crush each other, the Congress-NCP leadership seems to be practicing divide and rule politics once again. They did it with Balasaheb and the communists in the 1960s, with Bhindranwale and the Akalis in the 1980s, even with the Kashmir valley politicians in the 1990s. A larger-than-life Raj Thackeray suits the ruling arrangement in Maharashtra because it could erode its principal rival, the Shiv Sena's voter support. It's a dangerous game, but often when politicians run out of ideas, they prefer to play with fire. It's a fire that could leave Mumbai's cosmopolitanism scarred for life.
Now, before you see my writings as the outpourings of an anglicized non-resident Maharashtrian, let me just say that, like you, I too am proud of my roots. I too, would like to see the cultural identity of Maharashtrians preserved and the economic well-being of our community assured. Where we differ is that I am a citizen of the Republic of India first, a proud Goan Maharashtrian only later. Fourteen years ago, I left Mumbai for Delhi to seek professional growth and was distinctly fortunate to be readily embraced by the national capital. Like millions of Indians, I too am a migrant and a beneficiary of a nation whose borders don't stop at state checkpoints.
Moreover, I cannot accept that 'goondaism' is the way forward to forging a robust Maharashtrian identity. By vandalizing a shop or stoning a taxi, what kind of mindless regional chauvinism are we promoting? Taking away the livelihood of a poor taxi driver or beating up some defenceless students from Bihar reflects a fake machismo that is no answer to what ails Maharashtrian society today. The Maharashtra I once knew was inspired by the progressive ideals of the bhakti movement, by a Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar legacy of social reform. Are we going to dismantle that legacy under the weight of hate politics?
When you started your party a few years ago, it had been pitched as a party committed to a "modern" Maharashtra. If that vision still stands, why don't you take it forward in real terms? Why don't you, for example, set up vocational courses and technical institutes for young Maharashtrians to make them competitive in the job market? Why not, for that matter, start English-speaking classes for Maharashtrian students to equip them for the demands of the new economy? If cultural identity is such a concern, why not launch a statewide campaign to promote Marathi art, theatre and cinema by financially supporting such ventures? If Mumbai's collapsing infrastructure worries you, then target the politician-builder nexus first. And isn't it also time we realized that Mumbai is not Maharashtra, that the long suffering Vidarbha and Marathwada farmer needs urgent attention? Why not use your political and financial muscle to start projects in rural Maharashtra instead of focusing your energies on Mumbai's bright lights alone? An employment generation scheme in a Jalna or a Gadchiroli may not make the front pages, but it will have far greater value for securing Maharashtra's future.
Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!
URBANEYE
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>>Like millions of Indians, I too am a migrant
dont you speak language of delhi state?? should you survive in india without knowing hindi will you support such policy? isnt indian language protection a duty of govnts (state center) than general public?? arent there more languages being lost due to modernization from the areas you identified as rural and adiwasi?
the migrants dont adapt to marathi is the issue here sir it looks you are dis connected due to partial news coverage of a marathi cause which should have been solved in 1960 if the treatment of marathi people would be just by migrants. see the SMS campaign run during middle of LeT attacks that marathi cant save mumbai!! you dont get that heat do you? sonia gandhi's italy oppose ereatrians, romanian migrants find about it. it is not only in mumbai a political gimic to run legecy of shivsena but a world feeling there are pro and anti migrant sides of coarse you accept that the one who migrated and came up in life wont oppose migration to any part of world there after. fine.
>>Are we going to dismantle that legacy under the weight of hate politics?
what is taught by these legacy is to not tolerate in justice to people by anyone.
i dont think marathi people find anything contradicting in shutting down anti marathi voices so that our attn is not diverted to deal with the cornering in daily life.
recomendation please speak in marathi in delhi and make news item against support for destruction of maharashtr sadan in delhi
had it been uttar bhartiya sadan in navi mumbai jaya bachchan would have made visits isnt it? but there is no caretaker for maharashtr's pride in delhi good old shivsainiks took revenge of it but shiela dixit who questioned where was raj thakre on 26/11 could not care for marathi state symbol under attack, no one sent letters from PMO to state HM there.
...Reply
Thanks for enlightening me! ...Reply
Rajdeep:
Atleast for once, be honest to the people of India! If Lalloo and his croonies will stop the fradulent practices at the Railway recruitment board , then people like Raj thackeray will never come into prominence.The RRB conducts all its exams in maharashtra and punjab In Hindi/English, while in other non hindi speaking states-orissa, tamilnadu,kerala,karnataka, andhra pradesh, assam, westbengal etc in respective regional languages and english! As a honest Indian, don't you think this is injustice to people of maharashtra and India as well.This political dichotomy being practice by our corrupt politicians is getting further support by way of writing such articles.Shame on you! try to analyse the cause and then make statements! Same with all other govt of India outfits -if you look a the population of the workforce in Maharashtra in GOI enterprises-90% of them are from UP/Bihar. For your kind information, the education standard and literacy of maharashtra, Tamil nadu, karnataka, andhra is much higher than bihar/UP. The cause for which Raj is fighting is justified in the light of the above facts but I completely disapprove his tactics.You cannot beat anyone anywhere in india.The problem we have in India is that lousy journalsit like you misguide the youth of this nation who have already been taken for a big ride by the politicians for last three decades.As neilzaide mentioned, your article displays blatant bias towards north and does not do any justice to your role as a responsible scribe on a very powerful medium.Rajdepp, wake up.Stop being a pawn of the politicians.Show some guts and bring the truth to the fore! Pl use the ink to bring out injusitice being done on people of india, especially, the congress govt-which is polarizing our country into a bloody mess. Don't treat symptomatic way, but do it clinical way.Help us eliminate this virus. If we succeed then we will never have to deal with folks like Raj. Call Ace an ace! Dsih out correct information to the nation! dont use the same old cliched diatribe to help benefit some politicians. Your article clearly indicates that you may be on the payroll of Laloo. He is a miserable ,corrupt goon whorecently was being investigated in the 2000 crore fodder scam! Why dont u write about it?Ask the govt how can they appoint a guy as a minister who was once reported by your fraternity as the mafia don of bihar!With the media being such impotent and politically biased, I shudder to think what will happen to our Bharat!
Jai Hind
Rich ...Reply
Rajdeep,
That was really a matured reply and the fact that you are a maharashtrian puts more weight on it. According to me there is one very simple soultion to the ' Raj Thackerey Problem '. THE ENTIRE ELECTRONIC & PRINT MEDIA COME TOGATHER AND PUT A MEDIA BAN ON THE MAN ( irrespective of what the government does to him ) .. just think if raj has to buy newspaper or New channel airtime / space for everything that he does.. dont give him any coverage whatsoever and see the result, he will be like a fish outside water...
this was just a suggestion and I am sure all you intelligent people know better how to tackle this menace. It is also good to watch your debates on T.V.
Keep it up
thanks ...Reply
Rajdeep, As a journalist didnt you ever feel like taking up the issue of Railways Recruitment Board and the transparency in the recruitment process in question. Just like any other media/journalist I am seeing you distancing yourself from the actual more serious issues of questioning how the Railways occupies 90% hindi speaking people. Why the jobs are not published in the local newspapers? Bashing Raj thakre seems to be the most favorite past time of all the journalists these days. Blaming him for dividing India seems to be very fashionable now a days. How can you fail to see a divided India in the Indian Railways, UP/Bihar on one side and the rest of the India on the other side. The hindi/English media always look biased towards the north. This was quite evident when Rahul Raj was made a hero despite his terrorist like tactics. No media ever interviewed the conductor who Rahul Raj tried to strangulate and later thrown out of the moving bus. Neither was the man interviewed who was shot by Rahul Raj. Mumbai police were made villians in no time. Is this journalism. We expect some neutrality which seems to be lacking in todays journalism. ...Reply
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