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‘Outsiders’ issue continues to simmer

	February 25, 2008

There is no end to the issue of “outsiders” in various parts of the country, triggered originally by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s remarks against north Indians, living and working in Mumbai.



The Supreme Court has taken a serious note of Raj Thacker¬ay’s controversial remarks and warned that balkanisation of the country would not be allowed.



“We can understand what is happening. We will not allow/permit balkanisation of this country,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan said on Feb. 22.



Expressing displeasure over Raj Thackeray’s statements that allegedly resulted in violence and attacks against north Indians in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, the Bench said “it is a dangerous tendency.



“This is one country and we will not accept son-of-the-soil theory,” the Bench, also comprising Justices RV Ravindran and Markandey Katju, observed.



The Bench, however, refused to pass any direction on two PILs relating to the issue, saying since the matter primarily relates to law and order, it could be brought to the notice of the state government and petitioners could approach Bombay High Court.





Bal Thackeray against use of Hindi in civic body



Showing that there is hardly any difference between Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Bal Thackeray has launched a tirade against ‘outsiders’ for making trouble in Mum¬bai.



On Thursday, Feb. 21, Bal Thackeray not only lambasted migrants, calling them a nuisance and a burden, but also vehe¬mently opposed the introduction of Hindi as an official language in Sena-ruled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).



In the latest edition of Saamna, the Sena mouthpiece, Thack¬eray slammed the demand by some north Indian corporators to introduce Hindi as an official language. The official language of the civic body is Marathi.



Besides, Saamna also published an editorial on the issue of migrants, cautioning the BMC as well as Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to be on their guard on the issue.



“Since its formation, Maharashtra is facing the nuisance of migrants, they are a burden on Maharashtra’s land,” Thackeray said.



“Because of outsiders, cities like Mumbai are dying. Tall towers have come up but life has become unaffordable for the middle class, the situation in Mumbai is such that builders of towers and buyers are both outsiders, having nothing to do with Maharashtra’s culture,” he said.



Thackeray said the Sena would never tolerate introduction of Hindi as an official language in BMC as, if accepted, it could lead to a similar demand in the Legislative Assembly.



“We say that if it is not possible to stop (migrants), at least don’t roll out a carpet to welcome them,” the editorial said.



The editorial demanded action against Congress leaders in the BMC for demanding Hindi as an official language.





Congress responsible for attacks : BJP



The BJP has charged the Congress with being largely respon¬sible for the recent violent attacks on north Indians and other migrants in Maharashtra. It alleged that this insecurity was brewing in other Congress-ruled States also.



BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy told press-persons that the BJP had taken note of the growing uneasiness and insecurity among the migrant population in various States. “It is disturbing that mainly in Congress-ruled states such as Assam, Delhi and Mahar¬ashtra, a sinister campaign is on to unsettle, disturb and ter¬rorise the migrant population.”



Rudy said that the killing of people belonging to north India by ULFA extremists in Assam continued unabated. He said while people in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa were being castigated, leaders such as Railway Minister Lalu Prasad had failed to impress upon the Central government the need to protect the lives and properties of these people.





Bihar Assembly rocked over MNS campaign



The developments in Maharashtra, triggered by Raj Thacker¬ay’s anti-north Indian criticism echoed in the Bihar legislature on Friday, Feb. 22 when Governor R.S. Gavai was addressed a joint session of both Houses. Opposition RJD members demanded that the Democratic Front Government in Maharashtra be dismissed for what they called its failure to protect north Indians targeted by the MNS. They also wanted action against Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.



Referring to the recent incidents in Maharashtra, Governor Gavai said that whatever had happened there was unfortunate and condemnable.



CPI(M) says ‘sorry’ for West Bengal Minister’s anti-Marwari re¬marks



The CPI(M) in West Bengal offered apologies to the Marwari community on Friday, Feb. 22, over its Minister Abdur Razak Mollah’s controversial remarks about Marwaris in the state.



The CPI (M) state committee, after a meeting attended by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, party patriarch Jyoti Basu and state secretary Biman Bose among others, issued an official statement in Bengali as well as Hindi, dissociating itself from Mollah’s comment.



The statement, by Biman Bose, read: “The state committee does not agree with the comment (made by Mollah) and if any community has been hurt, we are sorry.” It further added: “The party’s state leaders shall discuss the matter with the minister.”



Mollah’s statement, on the eve of International Mother Language Day on Feb. 20 that “Marwaris use money to get their work done”, not only met with sharp protests from the Marwaris in the CPI(M) but the community members outside also.



To make matters worse, the Land and Land Reforms Minister even used a pejorative term for Marwaris. The comments had drawn sharp protests even from faraway Rajasthan and its Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia.



Trinamool Congress legislator Dinesh Bajaj met the Chief Minister at Writers’ Buildings to protest against Mollah’s com¬ments.

Mollah said he had uttered the comment on the spur of the moment and that he was sorry if he had hurt feelings of any community.