Batenge Toh Pitenge Posters Warn North Indian Voters over BJP-MNS Tie Up

 Mumbai: Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Sena has put up banners in Mumbai stating “Uttar Bharatiya Batenge To Pitenge” (If north Indians are divided, they will beat us up). The banners are put up in view of BJP’s support to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray, son of Raj Thackeray.

Amit has filed his nomination from the Mahim Assembly constituency. Sunil Shukla, the president of the Uttar Bhartiya Vikas Sena (UBVS), said that the north Indians will not support BJP candidates in the state if the saffron party supports the MNS candidate.

In 2008, the Raj Thackeray-led MNS had started a violent campaign against North Indians alleging that there was a nexus in the railway recruitment, which denied opportunities to the youths from Maharashtra and benefited aspirants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

BJP leader and MLC Prasad Lad said that Raj Thackeray had given the unconditional support to the BJP in the Lok Sabha election. “Raj Thackeray helped Mahayuti whenever needed. His son is like our son. Therefore, we will campaign for Amit Thackeray,” said Mr. Lad.

Mr. Shukla claimed that the north Indians have been harassed, abused and beaten up in the state by the MNS from 2008 to 2022. “If anyone supports the party which had beaten up the north Indians, we will oppose them,” he said.

The UBVS is a political outfit, registered with Election Commission of India. It has fielded its candidates Babanna Kushalkar from the Andheri (west) seat and Chandan Chaturvedi from the Goregaon seat in Mumbai.

According to the UBVS, if the MNS candidate will be elected, they would create trouble for the north Indian people in the state. “I will appeal to north Indian Hindus to not support the BJP candidates if the BJP supports the MNS candidates as the north Indians Hindus had been abused by the MNS,” said Mr Shukla.

The Mahim seat will witness a battle between Amit and Shiv Sena’s sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar. Even though the BJP has thrown its weight behind Amit, chief minister Eknath Shinde made it clear that his party’s candidate will not withdraw his nomination.

Expressing his displeasure over MNS contesting the Mahim seat, Mr. Shinde said, “We have our MLA there. I had a discussion with Raj Thackeray and I wanted to know his strategy for the Assembly election. But at that time, he said the Mahayuti constituents should declare their decision first. But he directly announced his candidate. We also have to take care of our party men. We cannot let their morale down.”

June 4 is the deadline to withdraw nomination for the Assembly election. However, Mr Sarvankar has refused to withdraw his nomination and kickstarted his campaign.