Thackerays are migrants, says report

June 24, 2008 20:26 IST

The Thackerays came to Mumbai two generations ago for jobs and as such have no right to assault those coming to the financial capital in search of livelihood. This claim has been made in an article published in this month's issue of Nationalist Congress Party's mouthpiece Rashtravadi, whose chief Sharad Pawar is an old friend of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray.

Hari Narke, professor holding the Mahatma Phule chair at the University of Pune and a renowned scholar on Ambedkar, has written the strong-worded article. Narke has flayed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, who is Bal Thackeray's nephew, over his party's attacks on migrants in Mumbai.

"Raj should read the autobiography of his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray (Bal Thackeray's father).

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Prabodhankar, who studied in Madhya Pradesh, has written how he travelled to other states for livelihood," Narke says. "This proves that the Thackerays, who are not original inhabitants of Mumbai, came to this city in search of livelihood," the scholar says.

Incidentally, Prabodhankar's literature was published in 1995 by the Maharashtra government at the behest of Narke, the article says.

"Who gave those, who came to Mumbai two generations ago to earn their livelihood, the right to beat up others who also come here in search of jobs? It does not behove people who live 24 hours a day seeped in history to forget the history of just over two generations," Narke said.