Why single out Raj alone?

Yes, Raj Thackeray should be arrested. Every politician across the country is determined to see the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader behind bars. What’s holding the state government from taking the big step is concern  for the law and order situation. It is also not very clear as to whether Raj’s vitriolic attack against North Indian migrants made in a public rally can be construed as a crime. Even the top cops in the city admit that Raj appears to have drafted the speech with the help of legal experts. If one strictly adheres to the provisions made in the Indian Constitution, then Raj can be faulted for every word he uttered against North Indian  migrants. The big question though: Why single out Raj alone?

Netas across party lines have, for last five decades, crossed the Laxman rekha on emotive issues. Its ugly side was portrayed inside the Indian parliament, too, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid during the Ayodhya Temple movement. The bloody dispute over the Cauvery waters have often seen the worst – Kannadigas versus Tamilians culminating into street riots. The Shiv Sena led by Bal Thackeray for the last 42 years has indulged in many such campaigns in the name of the Marathi manoos. By abusing  North Indians, Raj is trying to win over Maharashtrians from the Sena and bring them to his fold. At some point, he has succeeded in striking a chord with a section which subscribes to this parochial thinking. But every regional party across the country has used the same formula to retain its independent identity.

Strangely, all those outside Mumbai who are demanding his arrest, including the union ministers representing the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, are guilty of the same sin: inciting North Indians against Maharashtrains. How does one justify union railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav’s threat to barge into Shivaji Park to hold chaat puja?  Union minister for steel Ramvilas Paswan, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi have also reacted in a manner that promotes divisive politics. By contrast, Maharashtra’s ministers at both at the central and state levels have shown tremendous restraint from indulging in verbal duels on the issue of migrants.

k_shubhangi@dnaindia.net