The chauvinistic and
inflammatory rant of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief, Raj
Thackeray, against North Indians living in Mumbai, targeting in
particular the esteemed Bollywood icon, Amitabh Bachchan, has cast a
shroud of fear over Mumbai — with violence spilling on to the streets.
In a crude and opportunistic attempt to whip up Marathi regional
chauvinism, the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray hit
out viciously at Mr. Bachchan at a party meeting, accusing him of being
the brand ambassador of Uttar Pradesh rather than of Maharashtra. Raj
Thackeray’s rant included a sharp attack on the Union Railway Minister,
Lalu Prasad, alleging that Biharis were being favoured in employment in
the railways. What was most regrettable about these provocative remarks
was the evidence that in his desperation to retain political relevance,
the MNS leader was resorting to the worst trick in the book — fanning
the flames of Marathi chauvinism at the expense of imagined aliens,
mostly hapless migrants from U.P. and Bihar. As MNS goons beat up
people, damaged taxis, and vandalized a theatre showing a Bhojpuri
film, it became clear that those paying the price were ordinary people.
Fortunately, this descent to the lowest form of political violence is
likely to be contained by the narrowness of the political base of the
MNS. The Shiv Sena, which has the real muscle on Mumbai’s streets, has
pointedly distanced itself from the clumsy attempts of the MNS to
imitate its political tactics. In its post-Hindutva incarnation, the
Shiv Sena, like its ally, the BJP, is courting a large constituency of
North Indians who have made Mumbai their home. Mr. Bal Thackeray, who
finds Hindutva a more potent platform, is clearly disinclined to return
to the old agenda of fomenting linguistic chauvinism. Further, the
spirited resistance of the Samajwadi Party and its general secretary,
Amar Singh, who has lodged a criminal complaint against Raj Thackeray,
has sent out a signal that such bullying would not be allowed to pass.
Hopefully, this unsavoury episode will peter out, but what remains of
concern is the threat to the identity of Mumbai. Its cosmopolitan
spirit remains the pride of India even as its greatness reflects the
hard work, talent, and contributions of millions of people from several
States. The second challenge, which must be faced with unvacillating
resistance, is the continuing temptation of politicians and parties,
particularly those that have failed to make headway in the public
arena, to fall back on retrograde campaigns with incendiary themes with
the sole purpose of destructive social polarisation. Yet Raj Thackeray
is not Bal Thackeray and his clumsy attempts to revive the ‘Mumbai for
Mumbaikars’ platform have run aground. To borrow from Marx’s ironic
observation, drawing from Hegel, history repeats itself, “the first
time as tragedy, the second as farce.”
http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/06/stories/2008020652171000.htm
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© 2008, The Hindu.
