Mumbai, June 06: Strongly supporting Shiv Sena's ongoing agitation seeking jobs for sons-of-the-soil, party supremo Bal Thackeray today said "it is neither a stunt nor an election issue". "It is not an election issue as polls are one year away and it is also not a stunt as we do not believe in them", Thackeray told reporters here when his attention was drawn to Sena activists' resorting to violent methods to highlight their demand for jobs to Maharashtrian youths.

Shivsainiks, led by former MLC Shishir Shinde on Wednesday, allegedly pelted stones and sodawater bottles breaking glass panes of stores like mcdonalds', shoppers' stop and life style. Shinde has issued an ultimatum to relaunch the agitation from August 30 if local youth are not provided jobs by these international food chains and departmental stores.

Referring to Sena unit 'Staniya Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangh's agitation against recruitment of "outsiders" in the Railway Board, Thackeray said "was it proper for the officials to leak the papers to youths from Bhopal so that those candidates can secure jobs in the Railways".

The Sena chief said his party was opposed to influx to the metropolis. "Not only jobs but water, food, housing and other factors will be affected by the influx", he said.

Meanwhile, police have registered cases against nearly 350 Shivsainiks for their violent demonstrations on Wednesday in suburban Mulund.

Bureau Report