NCP (SP) state chief urges Maharashtrians to unite

In an open letter addressed to the people on the occasion of the state’s foundation day, Patil said though Maharashtra had performed well in the past in fields like economy, society, culture, industry and education, it had been lagging behind for some time

Mumbai: Amid speculations about the Thackeray cousins – Uddhav and Raj Thackeray – coming together, state NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil on Thursday urged people in the state to come together to protect Mumbai, Maharashatra and Marathi.

NCP (SP) state president Jayant Patil (ANI)

In an open letter addressed to the people on the occasion of the state’s foundation day, Patil said though Maharashtra had performed well in the past in fields like economy, society, culture, industry and education, it had been lagging behind for some time.

“Women are sexually assaulted, people are losing their lives for drinking water, farmers are committing suicide and ruling parties are advocating Hindi, humiliating Marathi. If our own people (ruling parties) are cutting deals at the cost of Maharashtra, then what can we expect? If Maharashtra is damaged beyond repair, what will we tell our future generations,” Patil noted in the letter.

The NCP (SP) state president recalled the Samyukta Maharashtra movement preceding the formation of the state on May 1, 1960, and the 106 people who sacrificed their lives seeking a separate state for Marathi speakers with Mumbai as its capital. He also underlined how then chief minister Morarji Desai (who was from Gujarat) ordered the police to shoot Marathi agitators.

Maharashtra was not formed easily and Marathi speakers had to struggle a lot to realise it, Patil said. “Did the martyrs (of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement seeking a state for Marathi speakers) sacrifice their lives for this? If we want to protect Mumbai, Marathi and Maharashtra, we all will have to come together,” he stated.