Bal Thackeray joins North Indians issue to save Uddhav

Mumbai, Mar 5 (UNI) After the recent tirade by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray against north Indians, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today launched a similar attack on them in the party mouthpiece 'Saamna' in order to protect the dented vote bank of Marathi 'manoos' for his son Uddhav.

Mr Thackeray's vitriolic attack on north Indians, espically Biharis, was more or less on the same lines that Raj did but, as political observers feel, it was particularly to counter his estranged nephew and to save his son Uddhav.

Strongly condemning the tirade against Maharashtra by the Bihar MPs in Parliament, Mr Thackeray said such behaviour was akin to spitting in the plate from which they have eaten for the past several years.

The Sena chief has made a scathing attack on the Bihar MPs, particularly Prabhunath Singh, in a caustic editorial in 'Saamna'.

The editorial is entitled ''Ek Bihar sau bimar, khallya mithala jaga'', which loosely translated means ''One Bihari spreads a hundred illnesses. Be loyal to the salt you have eaten''.

Mr Thackeray, in the editorial, goes on to say that during the recent anti-migrant stir, few Hindi-speaking people were beaten up but the incident was blown out of proportion by the electronic media so much so that now the issue figures in Parliament despite other burning matters facing the country.

Meanwhile in New Delhi, taking exception to the derogatory comments against Biharis by Mr Thackeray in party mouthpiece 'Saamna', several Lok Sabha members today submitted a privilege notice against him. The copy of the Marathi daily has been attached with the notice submitted to the Lok Sabha secretariat.

According to the notice, Mr Thackeray's comments in the Marathi newspaper's editorial has lowered the dignity and sovereignty of the House and insulted the members, north Indians and national leaders of various political parties.

MRCC president and MP Gurdas Kamat has strongly criticised the statement made by the Shiv Sena chief against the citizens and leaders of Bihar and urged Chief Minister Vilasrao deshmukh to take strong action against him.

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