By IANS,
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has now trained its guns on Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan for his “Mumbai for all” remark. “These rubber stamp white elephants” should not be “sticking their noses anywhere”, the party said.
In a sharp editorial in party mouthpiece “Saamna” Saturday, the Shiv Sena said: “Governors are in decorative but dangerous posts.”
“These rubber stamp white elephants have to be borne for years at taxpayers’ expense. They should not be sticking their noses anywhere. What was the need for him to speak for outsiders?” it asked.
The party ire was directed at Sankaranarayanan’s statements before a media gathering Friday that Mumbai was for all and anybody could come, live and work in the city.
Accusing the governor of “treachery”, the editorial claimed that the present sad state of Mumbai was only because of migrants.
“Governors live in the sprawling, luxurious Raj Bhavan on the shores of the Arabian Sea. They are cut off from the ground realities. Congressmen from outside the state come here on ‘pension’, enjoy the cool sea breeze and go away,” it said.
“Even Sankaranarayanan is here today and will go away tomorrow. So what was the need for him to invite migrants to Mumbai,” it said.
“If he is concerned about them (migrants), then he should take some of them to his home state Kerala and bag an award of national unity from Sonia Gandhi,” the party said.
“Would he have done the same thing if he was, say, governor of Karnataka or Tamil Nadu, and invited outsiders to Bengaluru or Chennai? Why something that does not work anywhere else should be thrust on Mumbai,” it demanded of Sankaranarayanan.
It further sought to know whether Mumbai was some kind of “ashram or an orphanage” for migrants.
The editorial challenged the governor to get himself appointed in Jammu and Kashmir and invite people from all over India to come and settle there.
“We (Indians) are not allowed to work or live there though it is a part of India and nobody goes to save it (Kashmir) in the name of national integration,” it pointed out.
It asked the governor when the Constitution gives the right to people to come and settle anywhere, does it mean on footpaths, under bridges and grabbing any open space.
Alleging selective interpretation of constitutional rights, it said all rights come with responsibilities.
The party said if these migrants went and lived in the bungalows and flats of ministers, or even the Raj Bhavan, these very dignitaries would throw them out.
Stating that such statements did not suit him, it said there should be a permit system for outsiders entering Mumbai.
Last week, playback singer Asha Bhosale had expressed similar sentiments as the governor, in Pune, while Bollywood actor Nana Patekar had said he was pained by the controversy over Maharashtrians and non-Maharashtrians.
In the recent past, cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar and industrialist Mukesh Ambani have been at the receiving end of Shiv Sena ire for their comments supporting the idea of residents of other states settling in Mumbai.