Raj Thackeray’s malaria remark stings Congress-NCP

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s recent comment equating the malaria outbreak to influx of migrants has evoked sharp reactions from the Congress and its ally Nationalist Congress Party, who have labelled the assertion ‘illogical’ and ‘unscientific’.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan on Monday called the theory baseless.

“How can anyone stop people from one state going to another as long as they abide by the laws of the land?” Congress MP Priya Dutt retorted, “It is absurd to think migrants brought malaria to Mumbai. I challenge Raj to establish facts before making such outrageous comments.”

A senior NCP minister said, “What else can we expect from the MNS? It wants to whip up politics instead of lending a helping hand. I would have been happy if Raj, like his cousin and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, had come to the aid of patients admitted in hospitals.”

MNS leaders, meanwhile, sought to explain Raj’s stand. “Raj’s statement should be understood in context. What he means is that amenities are lacking because of overpopulation. It is choking the city.”

Sources in the health department at Mantralaya said, “While it is true that we had traced the origins of swine flu to migrants, the same cannot be said for malaria. Cases reported in government and private hospitals show that even affluent families living in spacious south Mumbai homes are suffering from the disease.”

Congress spokesperson Hussain Dalwai said, “The residents of Bandra (East) have been waging a war against the slipshod cleanliness drive for the past 10 years. The area is infested with mosquitoes. A majority of these residents are Mumbaikars. What, then, is the rationale of holding migrants responsible?”k