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| Mumbai rues an identity crisis |
| ''If the people of UP attack us, will Raj Thackeray save us? If our children are attacked abroad, who will save them?'' said Shivram Khanwalkar,
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| INDIA
, 6-February-2008
0:49:36 AM |
| She is remembered as the fiery Queen of Jhansi, a warrior who carried the torch of nationalism, born into a conservative Maharashtrian family.
Today, the Maharashtrian legacy lives on in this close-knit Jhansi colony and from the heart of Little Maharashtra, a question comes for Raj Thackeray, the man whose 'Me Mumbaikar' campaign has targeted North Indians.
''If the people of UP attack us, will Raj Thackeray save us? If our children are attacked abroad, who will save them?'' said Shivram Khanwalkar, resident, Jhansi.
Next, a Maharashtrian whose work has taken her across boundaries from Nagpur to Bangladesh and finally Bihar, where she has settled and works among Dalits, Kalpana Shastree swears by inclusion, something that's not in the MNS leader's philosophy.
''Bihar has a tradition of hospitality, it's an amalgam. So does Maharashtra. I don't know why Raj Thackeray is doing this. Its just politics. The majority of Marathis do not approve of this,'' said Kalpana Shastree, Social Activist, Patna.
The outsider versus insider brand of politics was first practiced by Raj's parent party, the Shiv Sena. But even this hardcore sons-of-the soil policy has given way to a more inclusive approach.
It's a cause now hijacked by Raj, a divisive and violent path meant solely to pull in the Maharashtrian vote.
''This is short term politics. I felt very bad when I saw visuals of rickshaw pullers and cab drivers being beaten up. However, at the same time, the states from where the migrants come have to ask, why their people are leaving their states? They must create infrastructure and job opportunities there,'' said Sumitra Mahajan, BJP MP, Indore.
''Whatever is happening is wrong. We should understand that Mumbai is a big metro. People of different faiths live in most cities. We live in Gujarat, we are very happy. Why is this happening in Mumbai? This is a political stunt,'' said Jayant Lele, Former BCCI Secretary, Vadodara.
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