Ref: – MNS should resort to legal / international approach
Dear Sir
It is surprising that though Indian media widely reported and discussed the Thursday night acceptance speech of Obama following his nomination as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency of USA especially his anti-off shoring statements but Indian media failed to draw striking parallel between what Raj Thackeray of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been saying about the protection of economical interest of the ‘locals’ of Maharashtra and what similarly is Obama’s stand about the ‘locals’ of USA.
But for this only Raj is to be blamed as given below:-
(1)- Raj should have realized that in this fast globalizing world the protection of economical interests of the ‘locals’ is no more a regional issue (which always gets overpowered by national issues) but an international issue (which always has a tendency to overpower national issues). Therefore instead of getting defensive about this so called regional issue Raj should have been offensive in projecting the ‘locals’ issue as an international issue.
(2)- Though due to traditional special economical attraction of Mumbai and its nearby areas the issue of the ‘locals’ is more pressing and relevant to Maharashtra but people of other States of India are also sympathetic to the issue of the ‘locals’. But Raj has unnecessarily turned the people of other States against MNS which he could have easily avoided as follows:-
(i)- MNS ought to realize that a lot can be achieved peacefully by taking legal / constitutional / institutional approach. For example much could have been achieved by ensuring the enforcement (by agitations or legal actions against administrative authorities or otherwise) of Shop & Establishment Act 1961 in the interest of getting Marathi also on the sign boards of business establishments. But this week MNS unnecessarily issued threats to businessmen (mostly non Maharashtrians) thereby avoidably bringing Mumbai High Court into action against MNS. Even regarding other matters justice can be reasonably achieved for Maharashtrians the ‘locals’ by taking legal approach by MNS.
(ii)- Surprisingly Raj did not endeavor to take over Shiv Sena (SS) in other States of India out of Maharashtra especially given the fact that SS President Bala Saheb Thackeray and SS working President his son Udhav Thackeray have ditched the Shiv Sainiks of rest of India. This takeover would have given a golden opportunity to Raj to mop up SS (which is completely paralyzed due to said non visits of its Presidents) in rest of India and which would have given the MNS an all India presence, appeal and national perspective with attendant goodwill of the people of other States of India to MNS. Otherwise also Raj has better chances of expanding in rest of India because as opposed to SS President, Raj basically is not communal minded.
(3)- It is quite probable that the disinclination of Thackerays to move out of Maharashtra is due to the reason (as expounded umpteen times by a prominent Maharashtrian Rajdeep Sardesai the editor-in-chief of T.V. channel CNN-IBN) that after Panipat war III (where Marathas were humiliatingly & completely defeated) Maharashtrians avoid coming towards North India. But Raj ought to come out of this alleged mental barrier and visit other States of India in order to take over SS organization which still has considerable presence and dedicated cadre in politically crucial Hindi heart land and rest of North India.
(4)- Though Maharashtra has unenviable record of large numbers of farmer’s suicide but MNS is simply wasting its time and energy in a politically trifle manner instead of marshalling and concentrating its most of the energy in organizing the workers employed / ought to be employed in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Program (NREGP). This neglect is mainly due to the reason that MNS again failed to realize that NREGP (in its full & developed form) is a program which does not have merely provincial or national character but has a strong international potential and ramifications.
Therefore Raj Thackeray will do well:-
(i)- To give up his regional orientations and switch over immediately to international gear by taking full advantage of the tilt of USA towards the protection of the economical interests of the ‘locals’ as manifest also by the concerns of Obama and
(ii)- To motivate MNS to work (through NRIs or otherwise) with other organizations (political, trade unions, human right NGOs etc) of other countries in order to develop policies, programs, ideology etc in the interest of protecting the economical interests of the ‘locals’ in this fast globalizing world without harming the cost effective economical operation of business and industries all over the world.
Regards.
Yours truly
Hem Raj Jain
C – 605, Arihant Harmony, Indrapuram.
Ghaziabad (U.P.), INDIA.
Mo: – 09785095705