Leading a rally against the August 11 Azad Maidan riots, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday blamed “outsiders” from North India for the assault on the police in the city and the State.
He reiterated the demand for the resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil and Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik for their “inaction” over the riots.
“If they have even an iota of shame, they should resign,” he said at a public meeting at the Azad Maidan.
Harking back to his anti-north Indian rhetoric, he said: “Those who came at the Azad Maidan were from outside. They had no connection with Maharashtra. They all come to Mumbai from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Maharashtra has become their adda [hub].” Defying the police, who refused permission for the rally, thousands of supporters heeded Mr. Thackeray’s call for a morcha from Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty to Azad Maidan.
An estimated 10,000-15,000 supporters thronged the Chowpatty and marched towards Azad Maidan, raising slogans. The MNS chief arrived at Girgaum after offering prayers at the Siddhivinayak temple.
Frenzied party workers mobbed his car when his motorcade arrived at the Chowpatty around 2.15 p.m. Mr. Thackeray then led the morcha to Azad Maidan.
He lashed out at the State for refusing him permission to stage a protest march. “We told them our protest was peaceful and yet they denied us permission. But they allowed the Raza Academy to hold a demonstration. The same organisation held a morcha in Bhiwandi where Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi delivered a provocative speech.”
The Raza Academy was the chief organiser of the August 11 demonstration at Azad Maidan.
Mr. Thackeray criticised the city police chief for “demoralising” the force. “When the police took action against the perpetrators of the riots, they were abused by the Commissioner. This won’t be tolerated in Maharashtra. The State has still not announced any compensation for the injured.”
Invoking the Marathi sentiment, he said “anyone who eyes the State with wrong intentions, Maharashtra would show its strength.”
Mr. Thackeray said statues of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar were being desecrated in Uttar Pradesh. “Where are Mayawati, Ramdas Athawale, Prakash Ambedkar?”
Reacting to suggestions in the media that he could be moving towards Hindutva ideology, he said, “Just because the Azad Maidan demonstration was organised by Muslims and I am protesting it, they have [labelled] me.”
“Those who attack the police should be tackled on the spot. Raj Thackeray understands Maharashtra dharma. No one should mess with it,” he said.
The huge attendance was a show of strength by the MNS whose supporters poured in from all over Maharashtra.
They carried posters asking, ‘Where the police are not safe, what about the common people?’ ‘Where women police are abused, what about common women?’
They also raised the slogan “RR Patil chase jao [go away].”
Absul Nasir, MNS supporter from Mumbai’s Muslim-dominated Bhendi bazaar area, told The Hindu, “The Raza Academy erred in mobilising Muslims in such a way during Ramzan. They should compensate for the losses incurred. Mr. Thackeray’s rally has nothing to do with Hindu-Muslim sentiments.”
Keywords: MNS rally, Girgaum Chowpatty, Mumbai violence, Assam riots, Azad Maidan violence
It was thought that there would be a call for peaceful coexistence from
the rally called by Azad Academy in the wake of what has been happening
in Assam.But we witnessed the result was opposite.Their leaders
delivered provocative speeches and later their men resorted to looting
and arson. So keeping in view of all these, we may come to the
conclusion that their intention of organising that rally was not
benevolent to the nation.
This rally was not communal but it was against the antinational forces.
True Indian cannot desecrated Amarjawan Jyoti which is symbol of
sacrifice for nation. There should not be any vote bank politics as
played by pseudo secularist but only nationalist and developmental
politics we want.
We must stop this vandalism in the name of community and region. Most of the people from North East are peace loving. In fact most of the people across country are. Few handful people tarnish the image of humanity in general. Them must be punished immediate, but by concerned authority, not by some vigilante.
North East people have left their houses for the sake of education, in search of job, in search of safe life. They are not here for creating nuisance or creating violence. Ther are not responsible for any kind of riots, whether its Mumbai or Assam. They are also normal humanbeing, they also want safe and peacefull life. Blaming them for any kind of riots or violence is not fare to them. They are also part of our society, part of our country.
Mumbai police had intelligence inputs about the incidence of violence that took place in azad maidan yet they have not prepared a good defence for the prevention of the violence. Police should now have to take strong action against Suni islamic group Razza. It is very much dissappointing that the commissioner, inspite of knowing that violence could end terrible violence, abeted police force without being prepared. Now its the duty of govt and police to provide compensation for the those who sufferred the attrocities.
I will support any group who will take on those who vandalized Amar Jawan jyoti in Mumbai.That symbol is very sacred to me.Why it was attcked in the first place? It is so tragic that no political party except BJP and its allies have spoken against the brazen goondaism in the rally organized by Raza Academy. There are all the signs that it included elements which are not only anti-social, but also anti- national.How far should we tolerate this non-sense and for what ? I condemn the treatment meted out to Muslims in Myanmar.
In the wake of the events that happened it is the need of the hour to strengthen the stasis on which our secularity lies.
If somebody launches vitriolic campaigns against one community assumably from other side of the border, we should express our solidarity through various peace building marches without pinning against a community but fighting against a bunch of maniacs who don't have any religion.
This will make our society impervious to any further communal hatred and the long strived dream of a secular India.
These protests and counter protests are doing the country no good. It is time for the parties to stop playing vote bank politics. The media also has to stop biased reporting.
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