There is one more addition in what seems to be the country’s longest and most effective political gimmick. Since launching its hate campaign against the so called ‘outsiders’ in Mumbai, the MNS or the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has till date only continued with its protests. Under the leadership of Raj Thackeray who broke away from the Shiv Sena to form his own party, the MNS officials continued to attacking the people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar both verbally and physically.

The hate campaign didn’t limit itself to the city of Mumbai and continued to other parts of Maharashtra forcing many North Indians to make an escape from the state. The newest addition in these attacks is the demand for 80% reservations for Marathi sons of soil in the various industries of the state. The demand is quite clearly an attempt to please the Maharashtrians of the state and in the process garnering their votes. However, Raj Thackeray denies this saying that the campaign is launched after 50 lakh Marathi youth registered themselves with the regional employment exchange and have not been getting any job response. They have not merely stated this but have in fact already acted upon the idea by issuing notices to the likes of Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis and many such industrialists asking them to reserve positions for the sons of soil.

Raj also said that all the new industries that will be coming up in the state have to reserve 100% jobs for the Marathi-speaking people. The fact that the railways recruitment showed figures of ninety-nine percent people recruited from UP and Bihar was also mentioned by him angrily. The political observers, however, differ by stating that what Raj Thackeray is doing is just a revival of what the Shiv Sena did in the 1970s and 80s which it later dropped after joining the BJP. But, after Raj Thackeray started this campaign the Shiv Sena too, fearing to lose its Marathi votes, is planning to revive the campaign which was once its main political issue for the election campaign.

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Via: Times of India