Marathi regionalism

Maharashtra, the third largest state in India was born after the bilingual state of Bombaywas bifurcated into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1311115,prtpage-1.cms Sena fate: From roar to meow] ] Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra is the popular destination for migrants from all over India in search of livelihood [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/45424416.cms Migration into city rising? Not quite, says census] ] and large proportion of big businesses in Mumbai is owned and operated by Gujarathis. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1748507.cms Blasts shake Mumbai's Gujarati heartland] ]

In the past few decades, Mumbai and sometimes larger Maharashtra have witnessed a growing resentment towards South Indians and recently towards North Indians. There is also a recent movement towards compulsory use of Marathi language in Mumbai in places including the Municipal Corporation. This "Maharashtra for the Marathis" sub-nationalism or regionalism [State Politics in India By Babulal Fadia, p496, [http://books.google.com/books?id=LqSGAAAAIAAJ&q=marathi+regionalism&dq=marathi+regionalism&pgis=1 ref] ] has been condemned by mainstream political parties such as Congress and BJP and Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has assured protection for both North and South Indian immigrants. [ [http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/BJP-wont-allow-regionalism-to-flourish-Rajnath/281588/ BJP won’t allow regionalism to flourish: Rajnath] ] [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/19sonia1.htm Stand together against regionalism: Sonia] ]

Attack on South Indian migrants

After the Independence of India in 1947, regional administrative divisions from the colonial era were gradually changed and states following linguistic borders were created. Within the Bombay Presidency a massive popular struggle was launched for the creation of a state for the Marathi-speaking people. In 1960 the presidency was divided into two linguistic states, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Moreover, Marathi-speaking areas of the erstwhile Hyderabad state were joined with Maharashtra. Bombay, in many ways the economic capital of India, became the state capital of Maharashtra. On one hand, people belonging to the Gujarati and Marwari communities owned the majority of the industry and trade enterprises in the city. cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1311115,prtpage-1.cms|title="Sena fate: From roar to meow"|publisher=The Times of India|accessdate=2006-08-11|date=2005-11-29] On the other, the was a steady flow of South Indian migrants to the city, and who came to take over many white-collar employments. In 1960 Bal Thackeray, a Bombay-based cartoonist, began publishing the satirical cartoon weekly "Marmik". Through this publication he started disseminating anti-migrant sentiments. On June 19, 1966, Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a political organisation. It should be noted that at the time of its foundation, the Shiv Sena was not a political party as such. [http://www.shivsenashakha111.com/profile.html Shiv Sena Shakha no. 111] ] The political approach of the Shiv Sena was centred around the concept of "bhumiputra" (sons of the soil), the idea that Maharashtra inherently belonged to the Marathi community. The Shiv Sena was thus born out of a feeling of resentment about the relative marginilization of the native Marathi people in their own state by people whom they perceived as outsiders. cite web |url=http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-ketkar011104.htm|title=“Shiv Sena On The Threshold Of Disintegration”|publisher=The Indian Express via www.countercurrent.org|accessdate=2006-07-22]

The Shiv Sena especially attracted a large number of disgruntled and often unemployed Marathi youth, who were attracted by Thackeray's charged anti-migrant oratory. Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against the South Indian communities, vandalising South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire Marathis. cite web |url=http://in.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/23espec3.htm|title="Know Your Party: Shiv Sena"|publisher=Rediff.com|accessdate=2006-07-22]

Shiv Sena party was formed in 1966 to fight for the rights of the Maharashtrians. Thackeray started his political life by intimidating and sometimes attacking South Indians who worked as clerks and owned small restaurants as they were taking away local jobs. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/841488.stm Profile: Bombay's militant voice] ] [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/jul/15akd.htm Politicians, patriotism and pettiness] ] South Indians were derisively referred to as "yandugunduwalas" and "lunghiwalas". [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1518/15180200.htm 'The General' in his labyrinth] ] [ [http://in.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/23espec3.htm Know your party:Shiv Sena] ]

South Indians were his main targets as he claimed that they were taking away jobs from Marathis. He lampooned "Madrasis" in his writings and drawings. Udupi restaurants and homes of Tamil and Telugu speakers were attacked. [Ramachandra Guha, "India after Gandhi", p 430]

However other political parties such as Congress have been more conciliatory in their approach towards South Indians. [ [http://news.webindia123.com/news/ar_showdetails.asp?id=710300135&cat=&n_date=20071030 Narayan Rane to support South Indians in Mumbai politics] ]

Attack on North Indians migrants

The attacks on North Indians in Maharashtra began on February 3 2008 after violent clashes between workers of two political parties—Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party (SP)—at Dadar in Mumbai, capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The clashes took place when workers of MNS, a splinter faction formed out of the Shiv Sena (a major political party of Maharashtra), tried to attack workers of SP, the regional party based in Uttar Pradesh, who were proceeding to attend a rally organised by the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA). Defending his party’s stand, MNS chief Raj Thackeray explained that the attack was a reaction to the "provocative and unnecessary show of strength" and "uncontrolled political and cultural "dadagiri" (bullying) of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar migrants and their leaders".

Marathi Imposition

In a growing movment towards promoting Marathi in public life in Mumbai, Bombay Municipal Corporation headed by BJP-Shiv Sena alliance passed an order to make all communications only in Marathi. Marathi has been an offcial language in the corporation since 1971, however English and Hindi were used for distribution of information. [ [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1173369 Politics & Marathi language: New lingua franca at BMC] ] [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Marathi-must_muddle_at_BMC/articleshow/3202004.cms Marathi-must muddle at BMC] ] [ [http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Weeks-after-BMC-made-Marathi-compulsory-3-Cong-corporators-continue-to-get-copies-in-English/336137/ Weeks after BMC made Marathi compulsory, 3 Cong corporators continue to get copies in English] ] After his campaign against north Indians,Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on 14 July 2008 asked English medium schools in the state to make Marathi a compulsory subject from first standard and shopowners to put up nameplates in Marathi. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/Make_Marathi_compulsory_in_schools_Raj_Thackeray/articleshow/3233583.cms Make Marathi compulsory in schools: Raj Thackeray] ] On 27 August, 2008 around 50 activists of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have been arrested in south Mumbai for telling shopowners to put up Marathi nameplates. Despite the arrest of the activists, MNS spokesperson Shirish Parkar warned that the protest will continue and that the deadline of August 28 will not change. [ [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai_Marathi_diktat_50_MNS_men_held/articleshow/3408471.cms Mumbai: 50 MNS men arrested] ]

References