Mumbai/New Delhi, Jan. 31: Disunity in the Sangh Parivar over Marathi came out into the open on Sunday with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headed for a confrontation with the Shiv Sena over whether Mumbai belongs to all Indians or only to Marathis.
The RSS has issued a diktat to its cadre in Maharashtra to protect North Indians throughout the state and to prevent the growth and spread of anti-Hindi sentiments. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said: “It is not fair to restrain our own people from settling in any part of the country. Nobody should play politics on linguistic issues.”The Sena hit back at the RSS on Sunday, and senior Sena leader Manohar Joshi, responding to Mr Bhagwat’s remarks, said: “The time has come to remind the RSS that Mumbai belongs to Marathi people only, and they should get priority here... The Sena is with the Sangh on Hindutva ideology as always, but the RSS should not overlook the plight of the Marathi manoos and their right over Mumbai.” Mr Bhagwat had recently met Sena supremo Bal Thackeray at the latter’s residence in Mumbai.The Shiv Sena is one of the BJP’s oldest ideological allies, but if this confrontation continues the alliance might not last. The BJP’s support for a separate Vidarbha is also not going down well with several parties which fought for a united Maharashtra.
Age Correspondents