Mumbai: The standoff over hawkers between the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Congress seems far from over, with the latter planning a Feriwala Samman Rally on November 1 in Dadar, a stronghold of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.
Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam said, “Hawkers who were thrashed by MNS goons included many Marathi hawkers as well. They approached us and asked for support. Our leaders from Dadar informed me about this and we decided on a rally in their support.” He said he is yet to decide on participating in the rally. “This is not only about hawkers from Dadar. Congress will take out protest rallies across the city, wherever hawkers have come under attack.”
Former MNS MLA Nitin Sardesai called it a publicity stunt. “Nobody gives him importance within his own party, so he is using this as an opportunity to fix his place. We don’t give any importance to his claims. If the Congress does take out a rally in Dadar, I don’t think anyone will participate. We shall see what to do if they really decide to come out and protest,” he said.
The tussle between the parties took a new turn on Monday, when MNS workers visited Mr. Nirupam’s residence in Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri, with a handcart loaded with guavas and tried to stage a protest. Sandeep Deshpande, general secretary, MNS, said, “Mr. Nirupam has been professing his love for the hawkers of Mumbai. We felt he should get a sense of what it means to have hawkers in front of your house. So, our workers went to his house.”
However, a team from Versova police station got the protesters to leave, and detained eight of them till evening. MNS leader Shalini Thackeray visited Versova police station to meet the detained workers.
