Thackrey's Fact File

Note: In an interview to Shobha De in Mumbai mirror on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, Raj Thackrey praised Narendra Modi. He wished to emulate him in Maharasthra Shobha De says, The interview was conducted in Marathi at Raj and Sharmila's Shivaji Park residence. Ironically, it was Gandhi Jayanti — non-violence day! She suspects that Raj agreed for interview because she is a Marathi manoos.

Thackeray says, "Those who had experience, have ruined this country for last 60 years. Let's ruin it for five more years by giving it to new people " but then he goes to support L K Advani as the Prime Minister.

This guy talks about Marathi manoos pride!

Consider this. Most of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's business associates are non-Marathis. His confidante, Sunil Harshe, is based in Dubai, looking after Raj's vast business interests in the UAE. Both Thackeray's children are at English-medium schools. His son, who entered college this year, chose to study German instead of Marathi. When Thackeray was part of the Shiv Sena, he would often oblige non- Marathi contractors looking for work with the Sena-controlled Mumbai municipal
corporation. Thackeray also smokes the best imported cigarettes and sips high-end Scotch and cognac. He loves to drive a Mercedes or Pajero and is a charming host even if his guests don't speak Marathi. Raj Thackeray is the most cosmopolitan Mumbaikar one could meet at Shivaji Park, where he lives in an elegant penthouse.

But give him a microphone and he becomes a bhaiyya-basher. Bhaiyya is the term for migrants from UP and Bihar. Thackeray's rabid verbal attacks on bhaiyyas and his supporters' physical assaults, have in one fell blow, tried to undermine Mumbai's cosmopolitan foundations.

Raj appears to be following in the footsteps of his uncle, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. But there is a crucial difference. In the sixties and seventies, Thackeray senior accused south Indians of robbing Marathis of jobs in banks, the insurance sector and elsewhere.

It was a rant with a reason. The Maharashtrian middle class faced a very real problem. Over the years, the Shiv Sena took corrective steps to recruit lakhs of Marathis to large organizations. Thackeray senior's protest had a political sub-text. At the instigation of the ruling Congress, it was meant to strike at the communists who were controlling many trade unions in the metropolis.

The nephew is marching to a different drummer. Raj has had virtually to invent an enemy - the hapless bhaiyya. First and most important, there just aren't many jobs available in the commercial capital of India facing recession. Migrants to Mumbai work in sweatshops; drive cabs and autorickshaws. They are not a major threat to unemployed
sons-of-the-soil.

So why is Raj getting the bhaiyyas beaten up? He claims that the railways don't advertise vacancies in the Marathi press, which prevents local youths from finding out about jobs available. But railway officials insist the recent examinations were advertised in Marathi newspapers.

Raj's outbursts have a political background. The state's Democratic Front government comprises Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). But as Shiv Sena executive president and Raj's bete noire, Uddhav Thackeray, says, the government is a non-performing one. He has consistently evoked an excellent response on his extensive tours of the state's different districts precisely because he lambasts the state government for its "failure on every front."

The government has not added a single MW to the state's power generation capacity. Maharashtra is facing a 5,500-MW shortage of power. Fuel shortage means the mega power plant at Dabhol on the Konkan coast hardly produces any electricity at all. Hundreds of farmers in Vidarbha's cotton belt continue to commit suicide. Maharashtra's infrastructure is almost, but not quite, on a par with Bihar.

In addition, rallies addressed by Uddhav and BJP leaders have evoked huge response from the masses, says state BJP president Nitin Gadkari, ensuring many sleepless nights for Congress and NCP leaders. So what better way of preventing the saffron alliance from returning to power than weakening the principal opposition party, the Shiv Sena? Raj's exit from the Shiv Sena gave the Congress-NCP alliance a chance to weaken Bal Thackeray's 43-year-old party.

In a cynical move, the state government decided to look the other way when Raj and his men attacked the north Indian migrants, to demonstrate their commitment to the Marathi manoos. Though Raj wanted to show he was the real champion of Marathi interests, the government had a different calculation in order to ensure the Marathi vote is split. It let him have his share of the political fun. Film director and activist Mahesh Bhatt says, "The government is playing with fire for short-term electoral gains. Mumbai's cosmopolitanism is under threat."

Viren Shah who was at the forefront of the traders' campaign to counter Raj's coercive tactics says, "We all respect Marathis and Marathi culture. But leaders like Raj are giving a bad name to Mumbai and all that it stands for. The problem for Marathis is the same as for non-Marathis - water shortage, poor sanitation, pathetic
infrastructure and poverty. But Raj is allowing himself to be used by vested interests bent on weakening the Shiv Sena."

Raj's anxiety levels must have risen when the press started to speculate that Uddhav would be chief minister if the Shiv Sena-BJP combine wins next year's assembly elections. He must hope he never sees that day. If the bhaiyyas are to be targeted to prevent this, so be it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/Holding_Mumbai_to
_ransom/articleshow/3641431.cms
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