Mumbai: Campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections has reached its peak in Mumbai. In the middle of this, the dispute between Marathi and Gujarati has resurfaced. On the one hand, an advertisement was published by a company that prohibited Marathi candidates from applying for the job. Even as the controversy continues, Thackeray group office-bearers have claimed that a Gujarati-dominated society has stopped campaigning for a Marathi candidate in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area.
Sanjay Dina Patil of the Thackeray faction is the candidate from the North East Mumbai constituency. However, in Ghatkopar, he was stopped from campaigning in Gujarati-dominated areas. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. On Sunday evening, Thackeray group office-bearers were campaigning in the Ghatkopar area. However, the office-bearers of the Thackeray group were stopped at Samarpan Society, which is inhabited by Gujaratis. He is alleged to have been told not to campaign inside.
Around 8.30 pm, Shiv Sainiks were stopped from campaigning at Samarpan, a Gujarati-dominated society in the Maniklal area of Ghatkopar West. When asked why, one of the residents said they would not be allowed inside as he was a BJP office-bearer and would vote for that party. The men and women present pleaded that they were only going to give pamphlets and that it was your right to vote for whomever you voted for, but they were still not let in. After a long scuffle, the police were finally called. Only two people were let inside after police intervened.
"We requested that the police and Election Commission take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents. " In Marathi-dominated societies, there is not a single instance of anyone being barred based on caste, religion, and language. However such incidents are frequently seen in Gujarati-dominated societies. So far, we have seen many instances of Marathi people being denied houses and shops in Gujarati-dominated societies. But the right to campaign in the right way given to every candidate by democracy and the Constitution is also being denied, which is creating tension in the society and it needs to be curbed in time," Shivsainiks said.
"In Ghatkopar, Shiv Sainiks were stopped for being Marathi in a society where most Gujaratis live. What are they doing now? The question is what the Shiv Sena-Fadnavis faction does. The question is the ongoing conspiracy against the Marathi people. We will see what we do, Shiv Sainiks under Uddhav Thackeray have accepted the challenge. We will see what those who say our real Shiv Sena are saying about it," Sanjay Raut said.