MNS, Sena fight it out over Marathi manoos, again

Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists came face to face outside the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) building at Churchgate. However, things did not take an ugly turn and the parties settled on slogan-shouting against each other.

MNS activists had gathered as party president Raj Thackeray was going to inaugurate the MNS-affiliated Maharashtra Navnirman Janadhikar Sena (MNJS) headquarters there.

Interestingly, a Sena delegation, led by party MP Sanjay Raut and Anand Adsul, visited LIC chairman TS Vijayan on the same day and at the same time. They came face-to-face outside the building, which later turned into an ugly competition of sloganeering, with each party shouting that its leader was the true crusader of Marathis.

“Our programme was decided 15 days ago and everyone knows it. The Sena delegation purposely the same day and that too for a demand which they initially had refused to attend, but took up only after MNS stepped in,” said Shirish Parkar, president, MNJS.

Sanjay Raut, MP, a part of the delegation, which visited the LIC chairman asking him to make peons in the company permanent, said that Marathi manoos’s insurance is safe with Sena.

“There are people who came and who have gone, but Sena has the credit of keeping the Marathi community united,” said Raut.

Thackeray said increasing the percentage of Marathis in service sector is MNJS’s aim, and avoided commenting on past events.

“Changing the boards to Marathi will not change anything, we have to work such that Marathis will be seen in maximum numbers in offices,” he said.

MNS’s union could also pose a threat to the dominance of Sena-affiliated Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangh. After MNS announced its programme, Sena put up hoardings claiming Sena’s union to be the only one working for Marathi workers’ rights.

This face-off could be a glimpse of things to come in the upcoming civic elections.