Everytime the media reports about Raj Thackeray's speeches, it doesn't forget to highlight his "tirade" against the UPites and Biharis. Everybody, whether they are print, news, or other electronic ones. The other parties, like the Congress, RJD, SP, BSP, etc. too point out at the "danger" Raj Thackeray poses and asks the UPites and Biharis to unite against him. Congress goes a step ahead and asks the nation to unite against his "regionalism".
What nobody tries to address is the serious issues that he has raised. One is about bogus ration cards. He displayed those in Pune, and again in Mumbai. Yet, no party is saying anything about tackling this issue seriously. In Pune, he reeled off statistics obtained from the employment exchange, from where less than 10% of the applicants had got jobs during the period 2006-2008. This was a period of economic boom. What was the employment exchange doing? Most of those who apply to the employment exchange are locals. Why didn't they get jobs? I'm not asking for a success rate of 90% for the employment exchange, but isn't < 10% an abysmal figure? Why has nobody in the media given this any importance? He is taking the governments of the day and previous ones to task with data obtained from government sources and what is available in public domain. Yet, this received nothing more than a passing mention.
About his tirade against UPites and Biharis. Please give it a thought. Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Amar Singh come down to Maharshtra and say that they will fight it out for the "north-Indians". Laloo says some arbit stuff against the people of Maharashtra. But back home, in their state, they do nothing to generate employment for these people. Mayawati, instead of spearheading industrial development, proposes reservation in the private sector too. She goes on building some parks with giant sized statues of Ambedkar, Kanshiram and herself. She blocks the rail-coach factory, just because it is located in Rae-Bareli, a rival's constituency. Laloo Yadav has been of no good for Bihar. 15 years of his misrule has brought Bihar down to its knees. It is only with Nitish Kumar that Bihar is slowly recovering. So, this asymmetrical development has led to large scale urban migration. This is the hidden message that Raj is trying to give. And we are missing it and getting lost in his theatrics.
What nobody tries to address is the serious issues that he has raised. One is about bogus ration cards. He displayed those in Pune, and again in Mumbai. Yet, no party is saying anything about tackling this issue seriously. In Pune, he reeled off statistics obtained from the employment exchange, from where less than 10% of the applicants had got jobs during the period 2006-2008. This was a period of economic boom. What was the employment exchange doing? Most of those who apply to the employment exchange are locals. Why didn't they get jobs? I'm not asking for a success rate of 90% for the employment exchange, but isn't < 10% an abysmal figure? Why has nobody in the media given this any importance? He is taking the governments of the day and previous ones to task with data obtained from government sources and what is available in public domain. Yet, this received nothing more than a passing mention.
About his tirade against UPites and Biharis. Please give it a thought. Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Amar Singh come down to Maharshtra and say that they will fight it out for the "north-Indians". Laloo says some arbit stuff against the people of Maharashtra. But back home, in their state, they do nothing to generate employment for these people. Mayawati, instead of spearheading industrial development, proposes reservation in the private sector too. She goes on building some parks with giant sized statues of Ambedkar, Kanshiram and herself. She blocks the rail-coach factory, just because it is located in Rae-Bareli, a rival's constituency. Laloo Yadav has been of no good for Bihar. 15 years of his misrule has brought Bihar down to its knees. It is only with Nitish Kumar that Bihar is slowly recovering. So, this asymmetrical development has led to large scale urban migration. This is the hidden message that Raj is trying to give. And we are missing it and getting lost in his theatrics.
These politicians have a thick skin and we voters (the people who go out and vote) do not see the hypocrisy in our leaders....
ReplyDeleteIt is true that misrule in UP/Bihar has bought people into Bombay....but that does not mean Raj can come in and say that Bombay belongs to Marathi manoos only...and terrorize the city with his goons (or party workers, word choice)...
That is much like the SS and Naxalites in 1970 and their operations against south Indians
he may have a political point...
I certainly agree with you that his point about misrule in N.India being a bottleneck for native Maharshtrians not getting jobs...but finally he is not forcing policy change in any of the govts....He is also using rhetoric....and is as culpable as the laloo's and the sonia's
Unfortunately, for our media, for the bharka dutts and rajdeeps...Congress and every so-called secular party is Kosher...they apparently can't do anything wrong...while Tytler can be forgiven for Sikh riots in '84 by Madam Sonia and the media, Modi is always in the docks for gujrat-2002. Incompetence in 26/11 is getting much less news space than the supposed surrender in Kandhar (what else could have been done....sitting for 15 hours in a plane is a problem...those people had to sit for a week)
Well, Raj Thackeray is forcing some politicians to think. There's an election candidate in eastern UP who said that his area needs to develop so that their men need not go to Mumbai and get beaten up by Raj's men. So, development is being seen as a necessity.
ReplyDeleteBut what is true, is that very very few people will actually realise this. How are they different from Raj Thackeray, when the only thing they too do is blabbering. All debates on TV against MNS and Raj Thackeray focus on the constitutional right to freedom of movement. But nobody focuses on the government's duty to facilitate its citizens in leading a good life.
The Indian media is famous for creating a "tamasha". Remember, how Barkha Dutt was arguing about freedom of expression during the 26/11 strikes, but didn't mind slapping a legal notice against Chyetanya Kunte for allegedly publishing "rubbish" about her reporting. It is only the print media (and there are a few rotten eggs here too) which is more responsible in its reporting.
Raj T can "directly" rake this issue up...cannot he....by beating up people, he is doing something that is against the freedom of movement....and given the media credentials, it is the topic that they are going to pick up....
ReplyDeleteIt is unfortunate that a policy is not debated in our politics...but it is just mud-slinging....
I read parts of the Congress manifesto...and it was total bullshit....they just were trying to shift blame to previous NDA govt/ state govt, and appropriate praise for anything good (it is the party which too credit for the oscars)...and there was hardly any meat in the manifesto....at least in that sense, the BJP is coming up with these funky vision documents....
The problem with us is that democracy needs a certain maturity that you get with education... the concept requires that the voter understands the issues he is voting for and the policies....and with govts not spending money on education....further people like Mayawati and Laloo and HD Deve Gowda are going to succeed
What he has done is whipped up passions and feelings. If this energy can be channelized fruitfully, then these acts of mass migration will reduce. But, for that, he needs to come to power and then stay true to his words. Will he do that? Only time can tell.
ReplyDeleteIn his speeches, he tells Marathi people and youth to take up jobs and not shy away from them thinking about their "low-status". He asks them to take up any job available and continuously strive for progress. Again, this is not highlighted by the media. Such speeches of his are available on you-tube for viewing.
About the main-stream parties, it is actually very disappointing that they haven't tried to address issues related to infrastructure and consequently social development. They just want to dole out largesses.
Yes, unless the masses are educated and aware of their rights, leaders like HDG and Mayawati will continue to flourish. Because these leaders showcase globalisation as an evil which has intensified the gap between rich and poor. But ask these same leaders to improve road infrastructure and abolish the APMCs, so that farmers are not forced to sell to middle men, they develop cold feet.
In short,there needs to be a leader with a sweeping vision and one who can encourage the masses to follow him.
I guess people have more problem with what followed those speeches. Those riots and attacking on people of other states namely UP and Bihar caused more problems and added fuel to the fire. Had that not happened people might have different take on Raj's speech.
ReplyDeleteThe riots were more on television than on the streets. The print media had mentioned about this. Infact, DNA (Mumbai edition) had a photo of a person who appeared onstage with Amar Singh and M.S. Yadav as a "victim" of the MNS attack. But next to it, was the photo of this same "victim" when he was kicking an MNS activist. So, as Kaushik and I mentioned in our previous comments, the media is not fair at all.
ReplyDeleteEven with the "riots", Raj's speeches just cannot be rubbished aside as "rhetoric". They need to get the merit they deserve. In his subsequent speeches, he has targeted the government and misrule of the UP-Bihar governments with facts and data in public domain. But the media only highlights what he says for the Marathi manoos. Again, he isn't wrong there, when he says that. Why, Karunanidhi, Vaiko and party are ready to secede from India on the SL Tamil issue. They are not branded as regionalists. Then why only Raj? No media ever debates on Vaiko's pro-LTTE statements. Why do they project only Raj Thackeray as a villain? Vaiko is a greater villain as he is openly supporting a terrorist organisation.
I agree with author that Raj T has put some very valid points with adequate evidence & it is also true that everyone's angry with Raj because of the way in which he has put his points.
ReplyDeleteBut its a wicked truth that in today's politics one who goes by the law ends up being a loser while others adopting illegal & unfair means win the battle. Media covers only the sensational part of news & not the complete picture. I am not a fan of Raj T but i dont hate him either coz that's the only way he could have used to earn the essential fame & position in politics he enjoys today. What remains to be seen is how he himself will act when he comes to power.
@Pushkar,
ReplyDeleteYes, Raj Thackeray needs to get into a position of power to demonstrate his sincerity towards his cause. He realises he won't come to power by only raising the cause of "Marathi". He is shrewd. He is promising the people a Maharashtra that everybody will envy. His manifesto talks about that. Of course, we have to wait till the day he comes to power.