BY -TANVEER JAFRI : In Indian politics, whenever there is discussion about the separatists, our attention immediately reaches towards the movements in Jammu & Kashmir or in the North-East India. Attempts are done to crush these separative movements with the help of state governments & local administration by the government of India.
If need arises, the government takes help of army or local police. The organizations that run such separative movements are blacklisted & possible stern actions are taken to deal with them. But now it seems that separateness has come out with the new face of ‘nationalism’. It has started in India, in a prosperous state of Maharashtra.
The organization of Shiv Sena, a regional political party, in Maharashtra, an industrial & economically prosperous state in India, was formed to encourage regionalism. But Shiv Sena chief, Bal Thackeray showed himself a nationalist & a ‘Hindutvavadi’, to set himself in the politics. And treading this path, there remained an alliance for many decades between Shiv Sena of Bal Thackeray & another ‘Hindutvavadi’ national party, Bhartiya Janata Party, to take hold of the power, that are still on. By adopting the extremist thoughts of Bal Thackeray, the Bhartiya Janata Party might have enjoyed the power but with the main role of regional party Shiv Sena. Now the nephew of Bal Thackeray, Raj thakray is also working on the lines of his uncle.
Because of the controversy about succession of Bal Thackeray, his nephew too has started his own party on the basis of regionalism & ‘Marathism’. This Thackeray family tells itself as the nurture of Hinduism. This family says that they are patriot from the core of the heart. Their flags & dress also gives the impression of their being a true patriot. But for the last few months, this Thackray family is giving air to the regionalism for their political rivalry & showing cruelty to Non-Marathas, that reveals that their patriotism is a mere show & nothing else. The nephew Raj Thackeray is using his political energy in such a way that he wants to defeat his uncle Bal Thackeray in state politics. For it, Raj Thackeray has set up a new regional party ‘Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’ (MNS). He talks of ‘Marathism’ instead of Nationalism in his speeches. He wants to tell the Maratha people that he is only best well wisher for them. For this movement Raj Thackeray is sowing the seeds of hatred against the North Indians. Last days, many such incidents took place where in Maharashtra specially in Bombay the miscreant supporters of Raj Thackeray beaten the North Indians, who were unarmed & ignorant & were working as taxi drivers, shopkeepers & servicemen & students have come there to participate in examination for their services. The violence that was going on for many months was retaliated in the last. Indian Railway Services were disrupted. There was loss of property & buses were broken & set on fire. In all, there was a great loss of national property.
Now the question arises, will these leaders who call themselves nationalists & give air to regionalism, remain free? Is their false drama of patriotism is not a mere drama to get power? In fact, the two decades of regional party importance has shown the big leaders what they are in politics. At present, there are very few leaders in India who have recognition & regards from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Now the second line politicians are trying to encourage the regionalism. These leaders are trying to recognize the points for regionalism & then working on them. For this, the local leaders present themselves as the true well wishers of the regional people & if the only being well wisher doesn’t impress the public, they spread hatred for the remaining Indians.
The Indians that are nationalists are now in doubt if these separators, just for capturing the power, may not divide the country in many parts as was done in Afghanistan where many tribes used to rule in different areas. The central government should severely deal with such regional leaders who encourage regionalism. For it, Indians should feel that they are first of all Indians & not natives of any special state.
The boundaries of the state are marked just for the easy administration & regional development. For it, there is no need to praise the narrow minded leaders. The people of the country must be aware of the separators. The parties or the leaders or a regional party that shows the path of regional superiority over the national or encourage such views should be avoided & people should be watchful in this regard. The leaders who shine their politics in the name of religion, caste, region or language are only hungry of the power & have false sympathy for the people. For keeping India unite, there is great need to recognize such people so that India may not be fragmented.