Good riddance

The recent events in Mumbai, when people of North Indian states, notably Bihar & Uttar Pradesh, who had come to Mumbai to appear for a written test for jobs in The Indian Railways, were beaten up leading to many being hospitalized was a law and order issue, plain and simple. The Maharashtra Navnirmaan Sena (MNS) headed by Raj Thackeray claims to represent the ordinary Marathi people, ‘The Marathi Manoos’.

Did he actually speak on behalf of ‘The Marathi Manoos’ when he challenged the administration calling the Chief Minister and his deputy ‘spineless’? I am not so sure that the ordinary ‘Marathi Manoos’ has such contempt for the duly elected government. Raj Thackeray has found it profitable to speak the un-parliamentary language that he is so familiar with, only because he has been allowed to get away with it so far. Had his antics been nipped in the bud he would have remained a small-time wannabe politician. The Frankenstein called Raj Thackeray would not have developed had the Congress–NCP coalition in Maharashtra not worked with the ulterior motive of splitting the BJP-Shiv Sena vote bank with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections.

As we have seen so often in the past in many places, the politicians sow the seeds of hatred for their own narrow political considerations but the common man reaps the fruits of violence unleashed by these goons.

Raj Thackeray, the head of the ‘Goon Sena’ is at last behind bars thanks to the judicial system and the few individuals who found the courage to call his bluff. He has been arrested and in due course he would be held accountable for his utterances and his unlawful activities. It is my fervent desire to see the animal of hatred tamed.

Civil society owes it to itself to prune such weeds at the right time or else the beautiful garden that we so assiduously created on the soil of parliamentary democracy would become a jungle. And we all know jungles are full of wild animals. So the choice before 'The Marathi Manoos’ is the same as choice before the Indian people: ‘Jungle Raj’ or ‘Parliamentary Democracy’.

By making a valiant effort to tame Raj Thackeray the rest of India has shown what it stands for. It is time ‘The Marathi Manoos’ tells the rest of the country what he stands for.

image courtesy : www.gulf-times.com

Thank you. Oh ! Master

I write this piece to thank Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the munificent, magnanimous soul that he is, for the most charitable and noble act of his life, of granting a pardon to the one and only evil force in Mumbai, Amitabh Bachhan and Jaya Bachhan, who dared to raise a banner of revolt while staying in Mumbai. How dare he ?

I fully agree with you, Raj, that they deserve no mercy and the Bachhans along with their progeny must be crushed at any cost, for the ‘Marathi Manoos’ to live in peace and breathe easy after you and your ‘staunch supporters’ have removed all traces of the Bachhan influence from the sacred Marathi domain.

It is your greatness that you still thought it fit to pardon sinners like Jaya and Amitabh Bachhan. It speaks volumes about your large-heartedness and spirit of charity. That you even spared that police officer Prasad, who dared to question whose father this land belonged to, is the epitome of your spirit of accommodation for fellow Indians. That he can never move around without his badge and uniform would ensure that Mumbai law and order would improve in days to come. Even R.R.Patil didn’t have the guts to challenge your supremacy, though he claims to be Deputy Chief Minister. I guess even he wants to continue to live and work in Mumbai.

Raj sir, I doff my hat to you for your initiative and courage of conviction in taking up the causes that are so close to the hearts of the common ‘Marathi Manoos’. These hapless people were suffering in silence for long, while these Bihar and UPwalas were raking it in. Amitabh is said to command a fee of 10-12 crores per movie and he doesn’t even give a few lacs for the MNS. He expects to live in this wonderful metropolis of ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ without paying the rent to the real owners of Mumbai? How silly can these UPwalas get?

Your name would go down in history as one of the greatest warriors in service of Maratha pride, probably next only to Shivaji. There would be a slight difference though. While he only adorned the female attire to gain entry in to the mughal palace, you actually turned chicken when faced with the challenge from that man named Amar Singh.

Image courtesy www.newsline365.com

Mumbai wants rule of law, Raj

India has been witnessing the utter disregard that Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharshtra Navnirman Sena(MNS) has shown for democratic values. It his trademark style he and his 'supporters' first went about vandalising the various english language signboards, hoardings and the like in Mumbai, which prides itself as the commercial capital of India. Mumbai plays host to a large number of business travellers from across the world. How does Raj Thackeray expect his 'Aamchi Mumbai' to prosper in the backdrop of such utter contempt for the convenience of those travellers who bring business and opportunity to Mumbaikars?

After his misguided tirade against Amitabh Bachhan, who being the man that he is refused to buckle and stood firm his ground, Raj has gone and picked on Jaya Bachhan's innocuous comment at the 'Drona' music launch. When Jaya Bachhan was called to the stage, she ribbed her son and his producer / director friend, Goldie Behl both of whom addressed the relatively small audience in english, by saying that she would speak in hindi since she is from UP. Mr Raj Thackeray, a comment at a private function is not a political statement. You need to explain to the Indian people what was so disturbing in her comment that you took offence as the guardian of the marathi language and the marathi speaking people. Is the vast legacy of a rich language like marathi and the culture of its people so fragile that it would be damaged by a celebrity making a speech in hindi. Would you be happier if Jaya Bachhan had spoken in english instead? India demands an answer from you and the MNS.

It is indeed ironic that the likes of Raj Thackeray forget that to be good Mumbaikar one needs to be a good Maharashtrian first and to be a good Maharashtrian one needs to be a good Indian first and it can not be any other way. Sane and rational people of our country would not allow it to be any other way. Raj Thackeray and his brand of 'leaders' must be made to realize this truth by the democratic people of Maharshtra. Mumbaikars must uphold their long-cherished democratic traditions and make these misguided 'youth' leaders realise that parochial and chauvistic politics will only destroy the social fabric of a throbbing metrolpolis, a truly world city like Mumbai. The Raj Thackerays of this world must be made to pay a price for their follies. The political leadership ensconed in their ivory towers, for fearing of rousing passions, would not like to precipitate matters by branding Raj Thackeray a 'goon', a 'troublemaker' and putting him where he belongs : behind bars, but the secular and liberal democratic people of Mumbai and Maharashtra must do the best they can : say 'NO' to his brand of chauvinistic politics in the next elections which he contests.

image courtesy www.topnews.com