Antics of the Thackreys

The constitution of India grants the fundamental right of travelling & working in any part of the country to all its citizens. But some politicians are either not aware or have chosen not to be aware of something as basic as this. Few decades back, Bal Thackrey harassed the South Indians by launching a crusade against them. And today Raj Thackrey seems to have taken over the baton from him. Raj Thackrey's tirade against the North Indians & Hindi signboards in Mumbai followed by the pelting of stones on Amitabh Bachhan's house, unfortunate incident of students being beaten up by the activists of MNS, Rahul Raj being shot dead by the Mumbai police, a poor labour from UP being killed by the Marathi speaking people in a local train. And extreme and unrequired reaction by politicians like Laloo who went up to the extent of announcing that he is contemplating to cancel the trains of Mumbai, have left a very bitter imprint in the hearts of both the Maharastrians and the North Indians.

If all the above mentioned hooliganism was not enough, Raj Thackrey issued a fatwa, warning the newly elected legislatures to take their oath in Marathi or face the consequences ! The latest man on the receiving end of this Chacha - bhatija jodi is the soft spoken and mild mannered national icon Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin's only fault was that in a recent interview, he stated that although he is a proud Maharashtrian, he considers himself to be an Indian first. One wonders, what is wrong with this statement? What do the Thackreys want? Do they want everyone in this country to put their religion, caste and region before the country?

If this sequence of actions and reactions continue, then the gulf in between the people of India will get wider and wider. And the days are not far when we might end up witnessing the emergence of a Paresh Barua type leader in UP or Bihar, who would say that entire India humiliates us therefore we want a separate country for ourself. On the same note, we might also end up witnessing the emergence of a Bhindrawale type politician in Maharashtra, who would say that our culture is getting polluted by the presence of non Maharastrians. Our resources are being plundered and drained by the non Maharastrians. Therefore we want a separate country !!

Churning of the Milky ocean by both the demons and the gods produced poison as well as nectar. But churning the sentiments of our countrymen by the politicians of both the sides is producing only one thing and that is hatered towards each other. Even though I was born in Bihar, I can't imagine an India without Shivaji Maharaj and Lokmanya Tilak. And I am sure my friends from Maharashtra would have similar regards for Gautam Buddha, Guru Govind Singh and Ashoka the great.

Today we live in a free and an independent India. Today we can afford to have big dreams. However situation was not the same 100 years ago. At that time people from all parts of the country fought shoulder to shoulder against the British. They had only one dream and that was the dream of a free India. When a chandrasekhar Azad from UP, a Khudiram bose from Bengal and a Bhagat Singh from Punjab sacrificed their lives, they did so even for those who live in Maharashtra. If Maharashtra is free & prosperous today then it is largely because of the sacrifices made by the above mentioned people and not because of Raj Thackery and the likes. Therefore a Raj Thackerey has no right to make loose comments about the people of North India.

India is governed by its constitution. And the constitution allows every Indian to work in any part of India. Therefore lets not turn Maharashtra into another Kashmir. Yes if a north Indian goes to Maharashtra and gets engrossed into illegal activities then its definitely a valid concern. But then, how can a north Indian drive a taxi by illegal means unless the Maharastrian traffic cop and people from RTO of Maharashtra are not corrupt ? How can the north Indians encroach government land and convert them into slums unless the corrupt officials of Maharashtra municipality are not sleeping !!! How can the north Indians have illegal electricity and water connection unless there are corrupt Maharastrian officials in the electricity and water board respectively!! The Maharastrians must understand that if Maharashtra is under dire state then its not because of the North Indians but because of the failure of state machinery.

Similarly the Biharis must also understand that one or two stray cases of hate attacks cannot be taken as an endorsement that every common man of Maharashtra supports Raj Thackrey's hate campaign. Burning of trains, attacking railway stations etc is madness. It is nothing but the loss of the same nation of which even the Biharis are a part.

Its really sad to see the Biharis rallying behind leaders like Laloo and even the educated Maharastrians supporting Raj Thackery as if he was their guardian angel. Its a tough time for our country and we need to think in a matured way rather than letting the selfish politicians play with our emotions. Down with all the politicians who divide my country on the name of caste, religion or region.

Contribution of non Maharashtrians in Maharashtra's development:

All those who are under the impression that non Maharashtrians just drain the resources of Maharashtra without giving any returns to the state are sadly mistaken. Let us see as to how Maharashtra gets benefited from the rest of India:

Raw materials

The electricity supply which Maharashtra enjoys is produced by coal which comes from Bihar/Jharkhand. The cars, motor bikes,cycles etc which the Maharastrians drive is made by the steel which come from north India. many industries of Maharashtra make extensive use of raw materials such as Copper, Aluminium, Bauxite, Graphite etc which come from the states of Bihar and Jharkhand.

Mr. Thackrey accuses the North Indians of draining the resources of Maharashtra. By the same logic aren't the Maharastrians draining the resources of North India. Imagine what would happen if we end up having a Thackrey type chest thumping politician in Bihar and Jharkhand. Imagine what would happen if the goods train and trucks carrying raw materials for Mumbai get attacked and ransacked in Bihar & Jharkhand !!! Imagine what would happen if the supply lines of all the industries of Maharashtra are choked by hoodlums!!!

India is one country. We eat the apples from Kashmir, Wheat from Punjab & Oranges from Nagpur. We use the teak wood from Assam & sandalwood from Karnataka. We use the minerals from Bihar/Jharkhand and finished goods from other states. That's the way how our nation has been functioning ever since we got our independence.

For the sake of one India, for the sake of one country stop dividing the country. Stop using the term 'my resources'. Because as long as you are a part of India its neither yours nor mine. Its ours.

Cheap labour

Its the era of globalisation. Whether we love it or hate it. But jobs will always go to those who are willing to do it at a cheaper rate. And it comes with its own set of benefits. America was faced with a great dilemma few decades back when it tried to get the computer chips manufactured by Japan at a cheaper rate. Many Americans lost their jobs as well as their temper . But a decrease in the cost of computer chips reduced the price of Computers and the reduction in the price increased its demand. Due to increased demand of computers all those who had lost their jobs had to be re employed for manufacturing other parts of computers. It also led to an increase in the demand of IT professionals who could design softwares, who could fix its faults & also those who could operate computers. Moreover it acted as a boon to many related industries such as space, defence, medicine etc. And thus it not just improved the over all employment scene of USA but also had a huge positive impact on its GDP as well.

Its the same with the North Indians as well. You may hate them but if they are driven out of Maharashtra, then the distance covered on Ricksaw for which you pay Rs 10 today, you will have to pay Rs 20 tomorrow. Taxis would become expensive, watchmen, barbers, washer men and all the other labour intensive things such as real estate would become expensive. many industries would be forced to relocate to a location where they could get cheap labour.

Increase in the cost of products would increase your spending. If your spending would increase then your savings would be less and if your saving would be less, you will try to buy less goods and services. And If you do that then the GDP of your state would fall. And thus you will enter into the same old vicious cycle of Mahabharata named 'chakraview'.

Conclusion:

Be it Raj Thackrey, Bal thackrey, Laloo, Mayawati, Shibu Soren, Madhu Koda or any other politician of the same league. They know how to bake their political bread by exploiting the emotions of people. Fools are those who blindly believe them and put their lives at stake for these selfish lots.

If people want to take inspiration, then they must do so from the likes of greats like Netaji, Gandhiji, Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad etc, and not from these Tom, Dick or Harry leaders who divide the country on the basis of religion, region, caste & language.

Related articles in Media:-

(1). Mumbai belongs to all India: Sachin

(2). Bal Thackeray slams Sachin on Marathi remarks

(3). Take oath in Marathi or we shall create a ruckus: Raj Thackeray

(4). UP labour lynched in Mumbai local train

(5). Two members of the same family killed in a clash with MNS activists

(6). Rajasthan youth hit by train while fleeing MNS attackers
(7). Lynching: Lalu threatens to cancel trains
(8). Train bogeys burnt in anti-Thackeray protests in Bihar