Row in Rajya Sabha over MNS hate campaign
The home minister, who was answering questions on ‘the resumption of anti-migrant drive in Maharashtra’, was caught in a tricky situation when Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi repeatedly asked whether he was proud to be a Maharashtrian.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: ���Marathi pride��� and anti-migrant sentiments directed against North Indians by parties in Maharashtra led to noisy scenes in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
With both backers of the ���sons of the soil��� argument and pro-migrant votaries from parties such as Shiv Sena, BJP, SP, Congress and JD(U) making their points, home minister Shivraj Patil, himself from Maharashtra, was forced to take a stand on the matter.
The home minister, who was answering questions on ���the resumption of anti-migrant drive in Maharashtra���, was caught in a tricky situation when Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi repeatedly asked whether he was proud to be a Maharashtrian.
The home minister refused to be drawn into the question of whether local people should be given preference in employment as suggested by the Shiv Sena leader, but in response to Mr Joshi���s repeated taunts about Maharashtrian pride, he maintained: ���I am proud to be an Indian and I think Maharashtra is part of India.��� The response drew cheer from members of the ruling side in Parliament. However, Congressmen from the state, who may be feeling increasingly left out of the debate on Maharashtrian pride, may not have been happy.
In a written reply to the question on a new anti-migrant drive by Raj Thackeray���s MNS, the minister said: ���No anti-migrant drive has been started by MNS against the workers of UP and Bihar. However... 336 offences were registered and 1,575 persons were arrested for substantive offences in addition to preventive action against 5,159 persons, in respect of various incidents that took place in February, 2008.���
After Ms Najma Heptullah (BJP) and Mohsina Kidwai (Congress), who had raised the question, finished with their supplementaries, SP member Abu Azmi said there were reports of fresh attacks on people from UP. Mr Joshi, who followed him, changed the tone of the discussion by coming in with a counter-point to all those who had spoken before him.
With both backers of the ���sons of the soil��� argument and pro-migrant votaries from parties such as Shiv Sena, BJP, SP, Congress and JD(U) making their points, home minister Shivraj Patil, himself from Maharashtra, was forced to take a stand on the matter.
The home minister, who was answering questions on ���the resumption of anti-migrant drive in Maharashtra���, was caught in a tricky situation when Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi repeatedly asked whether he was proud to be a Maharashtrian.
The home minister refused to be drawn into the question of whether local people should be given preference in employment as suggested by the Shiv Sena leader, but in response to Mr Joshi���s repeated taunts about Maharashtrian pride, he maintained: ���I am proud to be an Indian and I think Maharashtra is part of India.��� The response drew cheer from members of the ruling side in Parliament. However, Congressmen from the state, who may be feeling increasingly left out of the debate on Maharashtrian pride, may not have been happy.
In a written reply to the question on a new anti-migrant drive by Raj Thackeray���s MNS, the minister said: ���No anti-migrant drive has been started by MNS against the workers of UP and Bihar. However... 336 offences were registered and 1,575 persons were arrested for substantive offences in addition to preventive action against 5,159 persons, in respect of various incidents that took place in February, 2008.���
After Ms Najma Heptullah (BJP) and Mohsina Kidwai (Congress), who had raised the question, finished with their supplementaries, SP member Abu Azmi said there were reports of fresh attacks on people from UP. Mr Joshi, who followed him, changed the tone of the discussion by coming in with a counter-point to all those who had spoken before him.
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