Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, delivered a speech in Hindi probably for the first time, on Sunday, 2 December, while stressing on Mumbai’s limited capacity to take in migrants.
Thackeray, addressing a rally organised by the Uttar Bharatiya Manch, also asked migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to question the leaders in their home states for lack of development.
According to Thackeray, he spoke in Hindi to target a wider audience.
‘Why Don’t Migrants From North India Question Their Leaders?’
“States such as Uttar Pradesh have given so many prime ministers, including current prime minister Narendra Modi (who is MP from Varanasi). None of you ask them (the leaders), why the state is lagging behind in industrialisation and why there are no jobs there,”Raj Thackeray, MNS chief
"When I take a stand which leads to conflict with people from UP and Bihar, everyone comes down heavily on me. But after the recent attacks on Bihari people in Gujarat, nobody questioned the ruling party (BJP) or the prime minister (whose home state is Gujarat)," he said.
"Similar opposition (to outsiders) was seen in Assam as well as in Goa, but those issues were never blown up by the media. But the coverage of my agitation is always colourful and widespread," said Thackeray.
‘Burden on the City’s Infrastructure is Increasing’
"I want these poor states to prosper as well. But instead of asking questions to their leaders, most of them prefer to rush to Mumbai. The burden on the city's infrastructure is increasing," the MNS chief said.
"If the rights of local people are violated by outsiders, a conflict is bound to happen," he said.
“A total of 48 trains come to Maharashtra and empty trains return. Any city or state has a capacity beyond which it can’t accept more people. What will happen to the people living in Maharashtra? The condition is very bad.”Raj Thackeray, MNS chief, said in the speech, India Today reported.
‘Respect the Local Language and Culture’
According to Thackeray, people shifting to Maharashtra should respect the local language and culture.
"Most of the migration to Mumbai is from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bangladesh. All I want is if people are coming to Maharashtra in search of livelihood, they should respect the local language and culture.
Thackeray also said that job preference should be given to local people over migrants from other states.
According to Mumbai Mirror, he said " If there are job opportunities in Maharashtra, is it wrong that the youth of the state be given first priority? If an industry is set up in UP tomorrow, then youth there should be given first preference. The same is true for Bihar, what is wrong in it?"
(With inputs from PTI, India Today and Mumbai Mirror.)
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