Click to play videoThe Maharashtra government is under political pressure to act against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. Police already have a non-bailable arrest warrant against Raj, but are yet to take any action against him. The MNS chief, too, dared the Maharashtra government to arrest him after his party activists on Sunday attacked young North Indians students appearing for a railway recruitment examination.
The issue was raised in Parliament on Monday with MPs asking why the Maharashtra government is not taking any action even as MNS supporters go on a rampage.
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The panellist included Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena Legal Cell head Rahul Narvekar, Rashtriya Janata Party MP Alok Mehta and writer Prof Chidananda Murthy. The discussion was moderated by Sagarika Ghose.
Sagarika started the debate by asking Supriya Sule as to why her party, which holds the portfolio of the Home Minister in Maharashtra, was not taking any action to stop the violence.
Supriya denied that the Maharashtra government was vacillating and clamed that the state machinery was committed to stopping the violence.
“The Government of Maharashtra is totally committed to stop all this. The Chief Minister has given a clear instruction and assurance because the top priority for us is the security of every citizen of our state and any visitor to our state. I think it should be applicable to our entire country. Nobody can take law in their hand and if there is I have full faith in police of Maharashtra and our judiciary and those responsible for all this will have to face the consequences,” Supriya replied.
“There is no problem. You will see the result very soon. Every citizen of Maharashtra should be rest assured that it is the moral duty and security is the top priority of our government,” she assured when asked as to why the police are not arresting Raj Thackeray even after getting a non-bailable warrant against him.
Is violence the only way to protest? The Saamna editorial has claimed that it was the Shiv Sena which was behind the attack on North Indians writing the railway exam.
Narvekar claimed that Sunday’s violence was the spontaneous outburst of the unemployed youths of Maharashtra.
“What has happened is the outburst of general frustration amongst the youth in Maharashtra. This has been happening time and again where the youth of Maharashtra has been subjected to partial of North Indians. What is happening is people from north and all over India are coming to Mumbai and taking opportunities which are for the domiciled people of Maharashtra. What has happened is the outburst of their frustration,” Navrekar said.
However, Mehta disagreed and said that the Constitutions guarantees everyone the freedom to settle and taken up jobs anywhere in the country.
“This is a wrong statement and a wrong ideology. Everywhere there is competition and Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. Everyone has the freedom to adopt his culture, live in any part of the country. This is democracy. Why should anybody be forced to adopt anything that they don’t want to, with what he is not comfortable? It shouldn’t be like that,” Mehta said.
When asked what is the Shiv Sena doing for the unemployed youths in Maharashtra, Navrekar said, “Shiv Sena is the only party which has taken up the issue of the youth of Maharashtra.”
Mehta quipped, “If you are so constructive, provide opportunities in your state.”
Prof Murthy agreed that the methods that Raj Thackeray had adopted were not right
“Raj Thackeray is not doing the right thing and I condemn violence. I believe in upholding the regional identity. In Bangalore we started a movement in 1983-84 to give opportunities only to Kannadigas at the lower level. They are not getting reservations in IT and BPO sector. What we say is a Kannadiga means not only a person who speaks Kannada at home but a person residing in Karnataka for at least 15 years.”
Won’t the brand image of India’s commercial capital be affected by the rise of regional chauvinism? It is being seen not as a 21st century city and an economic hub butt as a backward and not so cosmopolitan city.
“I agree that it is heart breaking to see what is happening in my home state and in the city where I grew up. It is a completely cosmopolitan and progressive city. I 1992-93 we had a Government Resolution which says any industry coming into the state, in the unskilled labour about 80 per cent of people in the company or factory should be Maharashtrians or local domiciled, in the semi-skilled about 50 per cent and the rest which need very high skills should be totally on merit. We believe that anybody who lives in Maharashtra should have a job and live in peace, security and complete harmony,” Supriya said.
Mumbai is a great melting pot and people from all over India including Parsees, Gujaratis, Punjabis, North Indians etc have made what Mumbai is.
“I thank Supriya for making clear her party’s stand clear. Till now her party president has been saying something else. Now what happened on Sunday is that the jobs that were being offered was of Grade 4 which required a basic qualification of class X. Aren’t there enough youths in Maharashtra with class Xth qualification who can be employed.
My party is not supporting this act in any way. This is an outburst of the frustration of unemployed youths,” Narvekar added.
Mehta once again rubbished Navrekar’s claims.
“Provoking unemployed youth is the only job of Shiv Sena. People from all over India have contributed in making Mumbai the commercial capital of India especially the North Indians workers,” Mehta said.
When Navrekar pointed out the problem is “disproportionate development in the country”, Mehta retorted by asking, “is it the Shiv Sena which has done all the development works in Mumbai?”
He also added that Lalu Yadav’s statement that he will perform Chhath Puja in Mumbai was in retaliation to Raj Thackeray’s separatist stance.
Final web/SMS poll result:
Yes: 81 per cent
No: 19 per cent
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