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Mumbai politics

I welcome the arrest of MNS leader Raj Thackeray in Mumbai. It should have taken place much earlier. The Maharashtra government has given the impression that it lacks the confidence to deal with a man who has shown utter disregard for national unity. I am sure the overwhelming majority of the citizens of Maharashtra do not approve of Raj Thackeray’s methods. But these days, anyone who can mobilise a few hundreds of people to break street lights and throw stones at the public transport system can get media attention. The fact that Raj Thackeray and his cousin could hit the national headlines in the past week is a sure setback to democratic practices and the standard of our leadership.

N.S. Venkataraman,

Chennai

A.P. Govindankutty,

Cheruthuruthy

I am writing more in sorrow than in anger. The way our hard-earned freedom is being disrespected by Raj Thackeray and his outfit is deplorable. By creating disunity and hatred among the people on regional basis, they are harming the nation in a big way. Disunity was our Achilles heel that invited the British to rule us. Raj Thackeray should put the country before his State if he is a true patriot.

K.G. Koru Kuttan Nair,

Cherpalcheri

The article “Mumbai: The glory days of the Raj?” (Feb. 13) has exposed Raj Thackeray’s bid to enlarge his political space in the Shiv Sena’s core constituency. While the parent body has switched over to the more divisive Hindutva platform, the castaway has gone back to outsider-baiting in a big way. The absence of gainful employment during most part of the year in villages drives lakhs of peasants and agricultural workers to metros and they compete with the urban poor to earn their livelihood. Unscrupulous politicians exploit the situation.

Ki. Ilakkuvan,

Chennai

Cousins Uddhav and Raj are both trying to get political mileage from the issue. The unrest among the middle and working classes of Mumbai can be attributed to the fact that the city is no longer a haven for jobs. Although the crisis started during the 1970s, it deepened after year-long strikes in the textile mills in the 1980s and the subsequent closure of giant mills, bringing cataclysmic changes in the lives of the working class. The Maharashtra government should take long-term measures to tackle parochial chauvinism we are witnessing today.

N.C. Sreedharan,

Kannur

When the world is going global, the MNS chief has found an easy, albeit dangerous, issue that can cost us our communal and regional harmony. Raj Thackeray should feel ashamed of raising a parochial issue when malnutrition deaths and farmers’ suicides continue to haunt the State.

Jagannath Dash,

Haryana

Thousands of Maharashtrians, I am sure, are living and working in States other than their own in India. If all the States start making the same demands as Raj Thackeray, what will be the result — balkanisation of India? The fact that the MNS is targeting only the poor and powerless people such as taxi drivers shows that whatever the problem, it is the vulnerable sections that get hit.

Sudha Krishnaswamy,

Chennai

N.S. Sankararaman,

North York, Toronto

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