Whose Mumbai is it anyway?

BURNING RAGE: Irate railway services aspirants set a train on fire at Barh railway station in Bihar

As images of "raj thakrey" ,first getting arrested and consequently released, got flashed on the TV , I couldnt help but think ... why is all this happening? why is everyone getting so xenophobic when we have grown up in an India ... where we are proud of the "unity in diversity"?I think these are just the symptoms of a grave underlying issue .....After 1947, Indian states were created based on language which i think was the right thing to do as these states not only represent different languages but also different cultures.After 60 years of independence, if you look at each of the states ... in terms of development and employment opportunities created ... then there's a stark difference !!Some of the states have done well but other group of states are still lagging far behind ... Also in every state, certain cities become the centres of development while the rest of the state simply gets ignored !! ... So it is but natural that people from the poor areas would simply "migrate" to such centres of development with a hope for earning a better living!These migrants have no option but to work for whatever money they can get ....obviously they would be preferred by the employers over the locals ... who will feel discriminated!Other thing which is happening is that when everyone rushes to Mumbai, Delhi or cities like it ... the basic resources need to be shared ... e.g. water, electricity etc. And then naturally there's a shortage and everyone starts feeling the pinch!To avoid this , we need "Decentralisation" ... we need to create employment opportunities in rural areas to such an extent that people wont feel the need to migrate!We need "self sufficient villages" as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi ... where all the needs are satisfied within the villages itself... if this happens then we wont the "trickle down" effect which till now doesnt seem to have worked !!But till this happens ... such incidents would happen ... the locals will feel discriminated and politicians will continue to take advantage of such a sentiment!what we can hope is that sense prevails out of all this chaos and Mumbai would be normal again!

A policeman chases away an MNS activist in Kalyan on Wednesday

The arrest of MNS chief Raj Thackeray sent places as far away from Maharashtra as Bihar into a spiral of violence. While MNS lumpens attacked suburban trains, Bihari youth, angry that their kin were beaten up in Mumbai, let off steam by damaging government property and burned train bogies. In Sasaram, one protester was killed in police firing at the station. A key Raj Thackeray aide, MNS general secretary Shirish Parkar, was arrested and booked for rioting and unlawful assembly. Raj’s supporters brought train services to a halt at Kalyan station for more than half-anhour by placing cement sleepers on the tracks. But although the services were disrupted, it did not affect the morning rush of commuters heading to office. The disruption was only after 12 noon, when trains were running at 60% of their capacity. Differences emerged within UPA over how to deal with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray with railway minister Lalu Prasad calling for a ban on the outfit but NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress suggesting media coverage had made the Sena rebel a larger than life figure. Lalu has called for stern action against the MNS and his RJD MPs raised slogans to this effect in Lok Sabha on Wednesday in an attempt to stall Parliament. They were supported by Samajwadi Party MPs who have also demanded action against the MNS. On the other hand, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar quite categorically ruled out central intervention and said “the central government doesn’t have to intervene in it...the state has the right to assess law and order situation.” His argument was that Raj Thackeray was “too small” a fish to be taken note of and he was being accorded undue importance. ‘‘Some youth create trouble here and there, pelt stones and put fire to small things and reporters like you project a picture before the country as if the whole of Maharashtra is on fire,’’ said Pawar. But given the MNS appeal to the “marathi” vote in Mumbai, Pawar’s stance can also be read to be an attempt to steer clear of an emotive issue that is politically problematic for NCP. It also reflects the dilemma that has been the Congress-NCP tip toe softly around the MNS over the past several months despite the regular provocations offered by Raj Thackeray. Lalu has also been worried that he might face the ire of protestors in Bihar who are dsirupting trains and have set railway stations on fire in the aftermath of the MNS attacks on “northerners” in Mumbai.