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MNS to rally against ‘infiltrators’ in SoBo today
After suffering successive debacles in elections, and struggling to stay afloat, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has planned a show of strength
After suffering successive debacles in elections, and struggling to stay afloat, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has planned a show of strength at a rally against “Pakistani and Bangladeshi infiltrators” in south Mumbai on Sunday.
The rally is being seen as the MNS chief’s attempt to steer towards Hindutva amid the party’s struggle for existence.
The march is supposed to start from Hindu Gymkhana and culminate into a public meeting at Azad Maidan.
MNS leaders said Thackeray will lead the march from Hindu Gymkhana to Azad Maidan. Party spokesperson Sandeep Deshpande said the response to the rally will be “overwhelming”. “People are fed up of these Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators and want them out at any cost. We are getting a good response and they [people] will all participate in large numbers,” said Deshpande.
The MNS has recently launched a major campaign against infiltrators, calling them “enemies who need to be thrown out of the country”.
Political analysts opined that although the rally would be successful, it is unlikely to politically benefit Thackeray. “The Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] will no doubt lend its help for the march, but then Thackeray’s rallies have always been successful till date,” said political analyst Hemant Desai.
However, the issue raised by Thackeray is not very attractive, Desai said. “The issue of Pakistani and Bangladeshi infiltrators is not a burning issue concerning the state, and hence, there is not much enthusiasm among the people about this topic,” he said.
After the recent drubbing in the Maharashtra Assembly elections and the ascendency of his cousin and bitter rival Uddhav Thackeray to power as the chief minister, Thackeray has virtually made a U-turn. The MNS chief, who was critical of the BJP, especially of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been seen trying to get close to the latter.
Thackeray recently even praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing a Ram temple trust.
Ex-Sena leaders joins MNS
Former Shiv Sena MLA Harshvardhan Jadhav joined MNS on Saturday in the presence of party chief Raj Thackeray. Former Sena deputy leader and spokesperson Prakash Mahajan also joined the party. Mahajan, who was with the Sena till 2011, is the younger brother of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan. He was also in the MNS earlier.
Jadhav, who is the son-in-law of Union minister Raosaheb Danve, had a falling out with the Sena chief after he was denied a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls last year. He later resigned as the legislator from Kannad in Aurangabad district.
Jadhav had met Thackeray two weeks ago at his residence in Shivaji Park.
Former Nanded district president of the Sena, Prakash Katange, and former district president of Aurangabad, Suhas Dashrate, also joined the MNS on Saturday.
