Violence, death and vandalism. Raj Thackeray has caused all of these in Mumbai. What he is doing may be wrong and he should be punished for it if so, but I think Raj Thackrey could be right in what he is talking about.
Raj Thackeray has voiced his concerns over the migration from UP and Bihar that is affecting Maharashtra. This is true not just for Maharashtra but for the entire country. Also, he only has a problem with the blue collared migrant labourers and not with the skilled professionals. So if someone is working in Maharashtra on merit, then Raj Thackeray does not have a problem, but his real problem lies with the fact that these labourers are given jobs in Maharashtra just because they are cheaper to employ.
Let us look at how migration of workers from Bihar and UP is affecting Mumbai. The heavy inflow of people has put tremendous strain on the infrastructure, the number of slums has increased, there are traffic congestion problems, the metro is collapsing, basic amenities are becoming scarce, law and order problems are increasing and unemployment is on the rise amongst the local people.
It is not just Mumbai which is facing this problem. Most metros in India are facing similar problems. So one will have to accept the fact that it is creating problems and this is what Raj Thackeray is pointing out (however his actions are illegal and uncalled for.)
While Bihar is the 3rd largest state in India in terms of population, UP is the most populous state in India. In the Rajya Sabha the two account for 47 out of the 245 seats and in the Lok Sabha for 120 out of the 545 states making them the most represented states in the government. Both Bihar and Uttar Pradesh receive a large chunk of the funds and packages from the Central government. Despite all this they are the most backward states in India with poverty, unemployment and illiteracy.
People migrate from Bihar and UP to other states to look for employment because there are no opportunities in their states. The opportunities don’t exist because governments after governments and ministers after ministers have been corrupt and have not done any work. This is why despite having the most number of representatives and most amount of funds available these states have not progressed.
In a way the government and the people of Maharashtra and other states are facing the consequences of incompetent and corrupt governments in Bihar and UP. The lack of development in Bihar and UP is no longer a state problem as it is now affecting the rest of the country as well. A system needs to be created under the control of the Centre whereby these states can be governed properly and developed and migration levels come down.
People in Bihar also need to realize that the rest of the country will not keep supporting and paying for the lack of sincerity of their elected leaders. They need to push for reforms and elect leaders who will bring about development. They need to understand that incidents in Mumbai are just fireworks and if they don’t find solutions larger explosions will take place in the future.
If things don’t change fast enough protests may start taking place in other places as well. I don’t agree with what Raj Thackeray is doing but somewhere along the way I also feel that Raj Thackeray could be right. You decide.
[Image Source] http://cms.mumbaimirror.com/portalfiles/1/2/200805/Image/060508/08-01.jpg
Namaskar,
My name is Sameer Wadekar.I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. I am extremely proud of Marathi as a language. Well on this topic I would like say something. No doubt Raj Thackeray’s behaviour should be criticized but every truth has two sides. Firstly shame on all the politicians in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that are not doing well enough in their state to create jobs over there. They are not able to bring enough investment, enough companies to their state. The behavior of that Mayawati of BSP,Mulayam Singh of SP and of course the notorious Lalu Prasad is hilarious. I don’t blame people from these states. People will come to other places for better life and better standard of living and my personal belief is that every individual must be given an equal opportunity to make his fortune.
States like UP and Bihar have their GDP growth in negative. No one says anything about it.No one ever talks about it!!!!!!
This is a global problem of immigration. But this time the immigration is internal within the country among different states. Whenever immigration in any part of the world increases there is opposition from locals.
Let me show you some video footage. The situation like Mumbai is similar to that in Moscow. Here is the link..Have a look at it and please let me know your views.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUxuq-E9yA&feature=related
Watch this horrific documentary on Russia-Neo Nazis!!!
I pray to God that this thing never ever happens in India!!!
Lastly I want to say Proud to be an Indian….Proud to be a Maharashtrian!!!
Jai Hind!!Jai Maharashtra!!
While you may be right in pointing out the burden placed on Mumbai and other metropolitan cities by the exodus of labourers from less affluent states, we must remember that people of the likes of Raj Thackeray make inflammatory comments and actions not because of their concern for the reducing standards of Mumbai, but only to garner cheap political ends. The means used, as you have identified, are illegal and uncalled for. One must also not forget that people move to Mumbai in humongous crowds because of lack of employment in their own states. They are not culprits, they are only trying their human best to survive.
Raj Thackeray MNS and Bal Thakray Shiv sena is like Talibanees who were once used by Americans and now Talibanees have become their biggest enemies. In the same way, if marathis will support MNS and Shivsena, one day they will become trouble for all Marathis family. A snake is a snake and it will attack you inspite giving it milk. I want to ask one question, why we indians go to foreign countries like USA and australia ? They should also treat us the same way we treat people from Bihar & UP. Suppose if something bad happens to mumbai and delhi like pakastanis drop bombs there, will u not come to Bihar for shelter, if it will be safe place. Inspite supporting people like Raj thackray , we should condemn Indian government and state government that they do not try to develop all the states of India.
politics is not a place of making a common man in disguise nor its a place to make people(aam admi) puzzle? please don’t try this. You just got to be sincere in you duty.
Please understand what Raj Thackeray is trying to say….Let’s not blow it up & say that he is dividing the country as such,he is concerned only about Maharashtra-The State.He isn’t a greedy politician.Nor does he believe in playing dirty politics.He doesn’t aspire to be some National Leader.Also these politicians from UP & Bihar don’t really want to do anything for their respective states,inspite of receiving all possible aid from the Centre.Firstly,it is the responsibility of the state govt. to provide adequate job opportunities for its own people,so they don’t flock to some other state.The problems are:For ex;
a)Illegal construction of Slums
b)Taxi drivers-1 number plate used by multiple taxis.Also no proper license or ID card,which the taxi drivers used to have in the 80′s.When you ask for the license they will show you a xerox copy which is not even a proper license.
c)Filling up job positions which should be primarily for the Maharashtrians who are residing here.
d)Posts as per Indian Railway Exams in Mumbai should be again for Maharshtrians not for people of Bihar & UP.They should occupy positions in their respective states,not in Mumbai.
e)Bringing contract Laborers from other states to work in this state & hence not allowing Marathi workers to work here.
f)Crime rate has gone high only because of these migrants.
These people should make help their states progress in every field.Maharashtra is not supposed to bear the burden for incompetency showed by politicians from UP & Bihar,we pay exorbitant taxes & those are sent to the central govt. which is again diverted to these states(UP & Bihar)
Maharashtra has always been a progressive state from the beginning so people should not try to teach us & say that the migrants have contributed.It is Maharashtra state that has contributed to them instead.
Jai Hind.Jai Maharashtra!!!
yes.raj saheb is absolutely right.
Nice solution,
Lets divide this country & fight like indo pak war,
finally who wins will be declared as best leader, best state & best………
@ Taufeeq
Fantastic argument Taufeeq, telling me to “shut my mouth up” is truly the intellect I was expecting to encounter on this forum.
Okay, so in your world these immigrants only have 6 standard jobs (mentioned above). In mine there are countless positions these individuals fill at local businesses, multinationals, government positions etc. Im sorry I don’t mean to make you sound narrow minded (you did such a good job of that for yourself) but according to Raj you don’t sound too “Maharashtrian” either, Mr. Khan. Is anyone asking you to leave the country based on your religion/culture/origins? I would hope not. Well, thats a good way of looking at it – from one’s own circumstance. I’m not Maharashrian either but no one is trying to throw me out.
So back to my argument – If businesses did not hire these people, they probably would stop coming here? There’s a similar problem in the USA with immigrants from South America. The situation is the same – as long as they cost less than the equivalent American worker, firms will hire them. Quality isn’t really an issue when you are flipping burgers or cleaning up someone else’s mess. Similarly in India quality isn’t an issue when one has to drive a cab, be a peon at an office, drive a bus or clean up at a restaurant. They’re getting the same thing done for (I quote) “Rs. 2000″.
Tell me something, have you ever taken a taxi? Well then you’ve employed an immigrant yourself. Or a bus maybe more appropriate – the driver a north indian as well?
Oh my, look at you being a hypocrite.
PS. Stop calling everyone “dude” just because you heard it on MTV, dude.
@ azad
You are allowed to live in any part of the country. So live in Bihar dude. Why are you running away from your own state? Don’t you like it ?
Competition is not won by under-quoting. If you & other biharis had talent, UP & Bihar would have been developed already.
@ Rishad Mehta,
“They’re not forcing themselves into our establishments but being hired by the establishments themselves”
You mean the companies recruited the watchman, doodhwala, sabjiwala, panipuri wala, rickshaw wala, taxi wala to mumbai? They earn hardly 2000/- per month. & such people are in huge numbers not just in mumbai but everywhere in India (Migrating 2000 kms to earn 2000 rupees)
Piece of advice – If you aren’t bothered reading an article, better shut your mouth up.
in the above all bhaiyas views i am not agree as , they are not developed their states but saying we are unity
yes,raj thackeray is right…………..
since i m fan of urs…………
so i would like follow ur violence opponents against bihar
i am very disappointed by this article…to think tat somebody could use da excuse of right to freedom of expression to defend someone in such an unreasonable fashion is shocking…this developing country of ours can never be benifitted by public figures such as thakeray…the writer of this article has an obviously twisted version of the reality..!! violence is not the method to resolve any issue and i agree with the suggestion that u should be working in aaj tak !!
all big talk and no points.!
Typical Bihari comment form mr. azad. This is kind of culture Biharis try to bring in Mumbai & other similar metros in India. Typ sign of this culture is they will only use fundamental rights for own use & deny others the same. This is the culture which understand language of dandu only. If anybody recalls where this issue started. Raj Thackeray said do not celebrate UP day in Maharashtra. Samajwadi Party leaders said if somebody come to disturb us we will distribute bamboo to our supporters.
Instead of giving answer to words by words SP stated using the muscle power & MNS given answer in muslepower. Our neutral Hindi media (which get more TRP by giving pro-hindi news than real news) inflated this issue with showing selective footages which most North Indians saw & make their opinion.
I saw both speeches given by Raj & commentry given by Hindi news channel & saw this bias. Following is one example how is that working–
Raj Thackeray said ” Amitabh worked in Maharashtra, earn money & become superstar. I admire him also. But when he become MP it is from Allahabad. When opportunity come to become brand amabassator he become from UP. Actually personality like him should become brand ambassator of India”
News in Hindi media ” Raj Thackeray today said against Amitabh about becoming brand ambassator of UP”
Now anybody who only listen to so called neutral Hindi media obviously make his opinion that Raj Thackeray is bad guy. I myself would have made opinion like this way.
So guys instead of blocking yourself in making opinion please try to understand what blog writer want to say. No body is supporting methods used by Raj & he will get punishment as per law. But see if really UP/BIHAR leaders & Hindi channels are God without any taint.
I am a Bihari & I have the fundamental right to live & earn in anypart of the country, right now I am in Bambai LOL. If Raj thackeray & his supporters cant handle competition, then they should surrender & leave maharashtra or better DIE.
I absolutely agree with raj thakeray.
I think raj should have done it 15 years ago but without violence .As everybody knows what the condition of bihar & u.p is,the other states of india has to suffer for there backwardness and poverty.
no matter india is democratic country but one should also know that the different states in india is named only after there linguistic majority just for the development of the locals first.
No doubt raj thakeray has choosen a wrong path to protest but the point he has hightlighted has to be look after.
Nobody asks lalu what he has done over 15 years during his goverment in bihar but when people like raj raises this issue all people from bihar and u.p. stands against him. I think the first culprit of the situation in Maharashtra is lalu and mulayam and then raj (if somebody think so).
In Maharashta railways,there are around 80% of employees from the states of u.p. and bihar where the litarcy rate is lowest.Any fool could understand what is going on behind the curtains . Isn’t it discrimination over language. The hindi media (so called neutral media )
should check it out.
Till the date , large number of Prime ministers of India are from the states of U.P. and Bihar but what the respective states had gain from it.
As the citizen of this democratic country i want to ask why Despite large amount of pakages granted to this states for the development for over years now ,this ststes are counted in poor ones ?I want to ask why the large no. people only from this states has to migrate for there dailyhood to other states?
I want to know why eveytime the people of bihar and U.P. elect the devils like lalu And mulayam as there representatives who has just developed there property instead of there states
At last ,I just want to know the answers of my Q? from the guys who are thinking that maharashtra is unsafe for the migrants.
JAI MAHARSAHTRA..
hmm..nice debate going on over here. I think its a very interesting article.Guys i really think you should read the article more carefully. The writer in this article does not say that the violence that Raj Thackrey is causing is right. Nor does he/she say that people should not be allowed to work in Mumbai..India is a free country and so yes people can work anywhere they want. But i think a lot of the migration is not because of choice but out of compulsion. So all this person is saying is that Bihar, UP and the center need to figure out ways of faster development so that people are not forced to work in mumbai or delhi. So guys please read the article carefully…
If solution is to stop labourers coming to Mumbai from UP/Bihar, then the “complete solution” should also include STOPING Mumbai / Maharashtra from “exporting” goods and services to UP/Bihar! Let’s have VISA & Custom Duty for each state!!!
I didn’t even bother reading this because I am pretty much fed up of everything Raj has to say these days. For starters this argument is stupid for the simple reason that the businesses here employ the immigrants (If you want to call them that) in the first place! They’re not forcing themselves into our establishments but being hired by the establishments themselves. So who’s fault is it? The people who come looking for prosperity or the individuals that actually give it to them? I guess its a dual sided argument, the ball could roll either way. But the fact of the matter is, if companies did not grant them employment they would stop coming! Its a simple solution. Raj’s sermons are not going to stop them, simply anger them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Raj himself had North Indians in his own employment in the past (or even present?).
On the other hand if the government in Bihar and other such areas provided a basic standard of living, the people would not even need to travel all the way to find a low paying job. So now the dual sided argument has a new aspect. Basically it is a vicious cycle that can be solved by improving their own states. If I lived in Bihar I would do the same! And so would most people. It just isn’t an environment conducive to living a decent life. Its also impossible to have money there because the second someone gets a whiff of it you will either get killer or kidnapped.
So while Raj isn’t “wrong”, the angle of his argument is wrong. Instead of supporting the people and fighting the government, he is attacking the defenseless citizens who can’t really change their circumstance. Im sure if Laloo gave away all his money, every person in Bihar would get more than they are currently worth (ten fold). Its so easy to steal in a lawless state, its probably the best paying job on the planet.
The bottom line is corruption. It is the cause of all this. Now I don’t mean to be cliche and start on the whole bribery argument – but its true. If the state used the money it is given to help the people and not themselves, a lot of good can be done. If I was the chief minister I would set up a highly advanced task force to tackle crime and get all the underworld garbage out of the state. That is the first step. Bihar is so lawless it is run more by the “gundas” than the government themselves. The problem is the greed we all unfortunately possess that makes it hard to do the right thing. If I was in that position I would be confused too. “A cool crore a day or helping a bunch of unfortunate people?”. There’s a moral debacle that couldn’t be solved too easily. We need some good people to sort this out as the solution lies at the root of the problem. I don’t think its impossible but needs a lot of hard work.
Instead of barking about immigrants Raj should take an active role helping these states. Even though he is trying to emulate the bigger Thakeray, Raj is a reasonable and educated guy. I don’t think he realizes that the stuff the Shiv Sena would pull decades ago (that brought them all their power) does not work anymore. The people are not impressed by hooligans. I hope you read this Raj because I truly believe you can make a difference where others can’t.
You don’t need to follow anyone else’s footsteps, make your own.
Thank you, ruchi.
Anyone who uses violence to stress upon his/ her point cant be right. Yes..some of the points he says are worth thinking about but then violence cant be justified at all..that too in a democratic country.
I agree that UP n Bihar are backward states n thats the major reason for the migrant movement…its nt only in mumbai bt also in delhi ..it does create strain on resources…but then you cant tell any citizen of india that ” sir, you dont belong here so we’ll throw you out” . thats plain illogical.
Yes..but whats logical is..to expect that these ppl contribute also towards the cities they r migrating to. If mumbai n delhi r givin them better opportunities, they should return atleast some favor by being responsible citizens in their capacities.
Undeniably, the guy needs to be tamed. A politician is a public figure it has not important whether he killed someone or people are being killed because of him.
If one has the ability and the power it should be use to encourage people to make Mumbai much more than what it is. One should be able to convince that not only should it be lucrative for people from India but, people from all across the world should feel privileged to be able to work there. In this case everyone is a mute spectator to all the row one man has been able to create. If he is so convincing what are the other people with if not more but, equal ability doing. Silence is as good as being actively involved in such an act. One man is made powerful by the ones who give up to his power not by the ones who retaliate. Mr. Thackerey has possibly no other agenda on his mind so he is using his power against the people who make Mumbai a metro in true sense. In the end it is the empty vessels that make the most noise.
but yeah, i understand everyone’s right to freedom of opinion and all….
*sighs*
good publicity stunt article here!
please join aaj tak news channel.
nothing good will happen to our country if people like raj thakeray become leaders, and youth like you write articles like this.
i have to say i am indeed very disappointed in not just your article, but the viewspaper editorial team for printing such articles.
please refer to http://theviewspaper.net/politics/2008/11/4552
also.
if this type of journalism continues, then well, it is time for a switchover.