Mumbai: Virtually launching its campaign for
the 2012 civic elections in Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, BJP on Sunday
reached out to the Hindi speaking population of the
megapolis promising that it would protect their right to live
in the city.
Speaking at a meeting organised by Maharashtra BJP Uttar
Bharatiya Morcha, party president Nitin Gadkari said Congress
was not concerned about the well-being of Hindi speaking
people in the city.
He said his party believes in unity and not in
discrimination on grounds of caste, region and language.
Everybody has the right to come and live in Mumbai,
Gadkari said adding, "Mumbai belongs to the entire country."
With an eye on the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly polls,
also scheduled next year, Gadkari said, "The pride of Uttar
Pradesh and India is the same. You must work for strengthening
the party in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and the rest of the
country. Participate in the organisational and political
activities of the party."
Seeking help of Mumbai-based Hindi speaking population to
strengthen the party, he said they should help the party to
defeat the Mayawati government as well as Congress in Uttar
Pradesh.
Stating that the situation in Uttar Pradesh is bad, he
said the law and order situation has worsened with women being
raped and youth having no jobs.
"Uttar Pradesh needs to take inspiration from Bihar where
the NDA government had done a virtual turnaround from negative
growth rate during the RJD-Congress regime to 11 per cent," he
said.
People of Uttar Pradesh come to Mumbai in search of
livelihood and live in slums here out of compulsion, Gadkari
said. "If there were roads, water, electricity and employment,
the people would not have travelled all the way to Mumbai."
BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde said
the party was ruling the entire North India with the exception
of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. "The states ruled by BJP are
doing well in terms of development," he said.
"Rajasthan was ruled by us but it will be back to the
party fold soon. Uttar Pradesh needs to take inspiration from
Bihar and support the NDA. We need to win Uttar Pradesh to
form the government at the Centre," he added.
Munde said there is no district in the North India as
well as South from where people are not residing in Mumbai.
Munde, who recently created a stir by suggesting that the
MNS could be brought into the Shiv Sena-BJP fold, said his
mother tongue maybe Marathi but 'Rashtrabhasha' (national
language) was Hindi.
"The two languages are not enemies. Those who live in
Mumbai would be treated with dignity and respect and even the
Hindi speaking people would have to respect local culture and
tradition," he said.
Munde said Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were
historically connected becasue a Hindi speaking bramhin from
UP performed the 'rajyabhishek' (coronation) of king Shivaji.
State BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar said the recent Adarsh
Housing scam, and the Sonawane killing had shamed Maharashtra.
"We need to defeat the mafia raj in the state and need
support from people from all walks of life," he added.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said Hindi
language unites people. "There are eight lakh Uttarakhandis
living in Mumbai and people of our state have laid down their
lives for the country," he said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, February 13, 2011, 23:46