Why didn’t Centre act against Raj, asks Sharad Yadav

Alarmed by reports of violence against north Indians in several towns of Maharashtra...

Alarmed by reports of violence against north Indians in several towns of Maharashtra, Janata Dal (U) President Sharad Yadav has decided to convene a meeting of senior party leaders to take stock of the situation.

Yadav told The Indian Express on Tuesday evening, “I am in touch with my senior colleagues and we would be meeting soon, maybe tomorrow.” Unlike the Congress, which has very little stake in both Bihar and UP, the JD(U) basically draws strength from Bihar, where it runs the Government in coalition with the BJP. The party has to take a prompt initiative in favour of north Indians to project itself as a saviour of Biharis in particular and Hindi-speaking people in general.

Lashing out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for having failed to take a bold and clear position on the issue, Yadav said the Centre had demonstrated an abject apathy towards the anti-Constitutional campaign unleashed against north Indians in Maharashtra. “Why did they not act against him (Raj Thackeray), who is devoid of any following (jiske aage-peechche koyi nahin)?” he asked. “They should have picked him up fast and put him behind bars.”

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Yadav said since the Congress was in power both at the Centre and in Maharashtra, the ongoing trouble marked a complete failure of the party as it was motivated by political considerations. “They are looking for electoral gains at the cost of social amity and goodwill,” he added.

Yadav attributed the violence against north Indian traders and vendors to vested interests, and said people eyeing economic gains by throwing them out of business were out to foment trouble. “This campaign must be put down with a firm hand,” he said. “I believe Congress, NCP and BJP have enough workers to counter trouble-makers and they must take this initiative rightaway.”