Shiv Sena's northern region chief floats new party

10 May 2008, 1658 hrs IST,PTI
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NEW DELHI: Irked by Shiv Sena's stance against north-Indians, its northern region chief Jai Bhagvan Goyal on Saturday floated a new party accusing the Bal Thackeray family of serving the interests of Pakistan by promoting Maharashtra pride. Christened 'Rashtravadi Shiv Sena', the party claimed that a number of Sena members from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh had left Shiv Sena and joined the new outfit. Addressing a function in the Capital after floating the party, Goyal claimed that the diatribe against north-Indians by Shiv Sena and MNS chief and Thackeray's nephew Raj Thackeray was part of a "design" by Pakistan to destabilise the country. Attacking the Thackeray family, Goyal claimed, "first Pakistan raised Jai Khalistan, then came the Jai Kashmir slogan. There is a conspiracy to divide India in the name of 'Jai Maratha' which has been hatched by Pakistan. "Thackeray family is serving as an agent of Islamabad," Goya alleged. He said the Thackerays were attacking well-known personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, who took India's name to a new high, for petty gains. "Let me ask them, what contribution has Raj Thackeray made for the welfare of Maharashtrians in particular and Indians in general," he said. He said he had written a letter to President Pratibha Patil demanding trial of Raj Thackeray for indulging in anti-national activities. Goyal, who was associated with the Shiv Sena for the past 36 years, and some of his followers had resigned from Shiv Sena in March to protest the outfit's "outrageous conduct" towards non-Marathis in Maharashtra.

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K.Venugopal:
05/11/08 12:23

Jai Bhagvan is right. Raj Thackeray is only serving Pakistan's interest. Instead of trying to turn Maharashtrians against fellow-Indians, Bangladeshi inflitrators, numbering many thousands in Mumbai, should be evicted.