Thackeray and the recent events in Mumbai seem to be on many bloggers’ minds- so, here are a few more posts on the issue:

Sahadevan isn’t happy with the inaction of the Maharashtra government either:

Some political parties have no good policy for people. They are befooling people, divide and rule what BJP and Congress have been implementing for last 60 years. The followers and goons of mistaken leaders must be rejected by people.

Ajit Patel tells you why Raj Thackeray’s hoodlums won’t attack anyone but the poor and the powerless:

Things do not seem to be so simple as they are made out to be. Why is he targetting only the North Indians (People from UP, Bihar)…because these people are poor and powerless to oppose. They clean the streets, drive taxi’s & rickshaws, work as construction labour, carry head loads, sell vegetables and are literally carrying the city on their shoulders. They have virtually shunted out the more relaxed local Marathi out of the trades at the lower spectrum, by their hard work and sheer endurance to inhuman living and work conditions that the city subjects its poorest to. Very few Marathi’s with their pride (or conceit) will work these trades.

Sidhu tells the Thackeray family, who trace their lineage to Chitragupta, Lord Yama’s recordkeeper, their actions are being recorded:

Shout: As they say, home is where the heart is. In INDIA, I’ll live wherever I want to. Mumbai to Madras, Bombay to Chennai. Kashmir to Kanyakumari. If not for emotional reasons, as long as I have an Indian passport, I can live wherever I want to. I’ll grab a job, irrespective of where I live, because I have to LIVE but not to starve a Maratha, if you cannot get a job, you are probably not good enough for it. For all the million Northies and Southies grabbing jobs in Maharashtra, there are a million Maharashtrians grabbing jobs in the North and South of United India.

Scream: And to live that way, Maharastrians and other Indians in general, CHOOSE your leaders wisely.

One point Oh says we need more ‘inclusive nationalism and not regionalism’ (very nice- but how’d that help generate more jobs in U.P., Bihar and reduce pressure on Mumbai, I wonder):

The elitist argument is especially specious. Proponents regard the migrants as an eyesore, these people are willing to use the services of these very migrants to drive their cars or clean their homes and contribute to their economic upliftment, but they do not want them to live in the same city as them!

Amrit would like to know what Raj Thackeray has done for Maharashtra:

I read on the Internet that the entire Mumbai film industry was wallowing in financial doldrums and it was only Amitabh Bachchan who gave hits after hits and secured the jobs of so many technicians and other workers belonging to Maharastra. What has Raj Thackeray done for Maharastra except for instigating people to commit violence and destruction? His political career in Shiv Sena took a nosedive when he allegedly got involved in a political murder. So what has he done for the betterment of Maharashtra in general and Mumbai in particular? Whatever Mumbai is today it owes everything to people from all the states.

Ranjanir laments that Mumbai maybe on the verge of losing its ‘cosmopolitan’ glory:

Having lived in the city for 3 years, I can vouch for the fact that one can NEVER feel like an alien there despite not belonging to Mumbai. The city has a unique way of welcoming you with open arms. Given a choice I would gladly choose to return to the city. However, such incidents are very disappointing. Every city in the country is a melting pot of customs and traditions in itself, yet none is as unique as Mumbai. And to think that this very uniqueness is now being put at stake for the sake of a few votes by our politicians just goes to show how petty power-hungry people can get.

Moses invokes the mythical ‘Mumbaikar’ spirit:

Every time there is a disaster or a terrorist attack, the spirit of Mumbai takes over. Where is the spirit now and why does it not come to the aid of people who have been targeted? Police, too, has been a mute spectator to the incident and did not do anything to save the people who were attacked.