NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: A group of people, shouting slogans against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, vandalized the Maharashtra Sadan in the capital yesterday.
About 50 people belonging to the Rashtravadi Shiv Sena, the breakaway faction of Shiv Sena, forcibly entered the Maharashtra Sadan at around 12.30 p.m. demanding to meet senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from the state, Gopinath Munde, who stayed at the premises Sunday night, Sadan officials said.
“They pushed the security guards and marched toward the reception demanding to meet Munde. When told that Munde had left, they turned violent and damaged windows and broke furniture at the reception and press room,” Jyoti Dennison, manager at the Maharashtra Sadan, told reporters.
They were shouting slogans against Raj and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. No one was injured in the attack. Police have arrested three members of the Rashtravadi Shiv Sena, which was formed by Jai Bhagwan Goyal, former head of the north India unit of the Shiv Sena.
The attack on Maharashtra Sadan is seen as a backlash against the attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra by suspected MNS activists. Mumbai has seen a spurt in violence against non-Maharashtrians, especially people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Resident Commissioner Apurva Chandra has apprised Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil about the incident. A complaint was also lodged with police. Deshmukh and Patil deplored the attack.
The reaction against attacks on north Indians in Maharashtra is having its impact on political moves in the capital too. Railways Minister Lalu Prasad, who is also Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, has threatened that all legislators of his party would resign by Nov. 15, if legislators belonging to other parties, including the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) did the same.
Lalu’s announcement follows the statement from Janata Dal (United), that its five legislators would resign if MNS chief was not arrested by Nov. 6.
Meanwhile, alarmed by regional politics taking ugly turns, the Left bloc leaders have urged the central and state governments to join hands to control the rising unemployment and economic divide.
The uncalled for threat of canceling Maharashtra-bound trains, organizing counterattacks on Maharashtrians and threats of resignations will not solve the problem, they said.
Using “regional chauvinism” as a political tool, instead of attending to economic deprivation of people, will only help “divisive and obstructionist forces,” they said.
— With input from Shahid Burney
