"Raj Thackeraysahib is right when he says the Marathis of Mumbai will soon have to move out of the city," Sada Powale, a 22-year-old MNS supporter, tells rediff.com
Thackeray spoke at a meeting on Friday, April 24, in Prateeksha Nagar, north-central Mumbai, where Powale lives. Over 4,000 people, most of whom were Maharashtrian, attend the rally, unusual crowds for an election meeting in Mumbai.
Powale's sentiment is echoed by a clutch of his friends that include young ladies from Prateeksha Nagar which houses a huge Dalit slum. Since its inception the MNS has tried to elicit the support of upper caste Maharashtrians, Maharashtrian Muslims and Dalits. The green and blue on the party flag reflects the social engineering that Raj Thackeray is trying to create in Maharashtra.
"I am a Dalit but a Marathi Dalit and I understand why Rajsahib's heart is bleeding," says Pooja Sant, who lives in Prateeksha Nagar's slum colony. "At a time when the winds of progress and liberalisation are sweeping across the country the Marathi youth are being systematically sidelined by some north Indian leaders who are encouraging migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to not only come to Mumbai but also settle down here by arranging for fake ration cards and driving licenses. It's about time all the Marathi people vote unanimously for the MNS. Only then will we be able to redeem Marathi pride."
Image: Raj Thackeray garlands the statue of Shivaji Maharaj.
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