Post-EC notice, Raj Thackeray defends anti-migrant stand

“I do not regret what I said, I respect it,” says MNS chief

THE HINDU 21-8-2012 MUMBAI:MNS chief Raj Thackeray organised the rally at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Tuesday. to protest against the perpetrators of the August 11 attack on police and media. Picx by SHASHI ASHIWAL

A day after the Election Commission (EC) issued him a notice for his comments against non-Maharashtrians at two poll rallies here, a defiant Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said he would not apologise.

“I do not regret what I said, I respect it,” Mr. Thackeray told The Hindu on Tuesday on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. “Even my advertisements say that only locals should get jobs. The EC had passed those, why are they objecting now?” he asked.

The notice said Mr. Thackeray had

prima facie violated the Model Code of Conduct by promoting enmity between different groups. The notice related to speeches in which Mr. Thackeray said that if the MNS came to power, he would ensure that “jobs would only go to local Marathi boys and girls.” Those from other States would get no employment and even their entry would be barred, he had said.

Defending his stand, the MNS chief said, “When I refer to Marathi, I mean the local population. This includes those from other communities who have been living here for generations and accept the Marathi language. Why should they lose out on jobs that go to those who come from other States?”

The MNS chief who had sharply targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his rallies, alleged that the BJP had spent at least Rs. 200 crore on advertisements for the Maharashtra campaign.

“Every newspaper has been carrying front page advertisements of the party for days. They have spent a minimum of Rs. 200 crore. What they have spent will finally be recovered from voters,” he alleged.

The BJP has strongly denied the allegations. “We have followed the EC’s guidelines very carefully. Mr Thackeray is not the EC,” said Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar.

Mr. Thackeray said the Prime Minister had already returned to Delhi and was no longer focussed on Maharashtra. “Mr. Modi has spoken at rallies here and gone back. We stay here and we know what the issues are. The way he knows the pride of Gujarat, we know the pride of Maharashtra,” the MNS chief said.