History Repeats Itself

What has basically brought this post on, is this article in the Mumbai Mirror. This has me really riled up. Why should the cops have to pay for the irresponsibility of politicians. Aren't they human beings too? Why shouldn't they get leave?

And what the hell is Raj Thackeray thinking when he comes out with statements like that? Aren't the migrants working too? At least they're earning an honest living. Why target taxi drivers and innocent vendors and destroy their property? My heart bled for the taxi driver who's taxi was stomped on by the MNS workers and the windshield and doors broken. Do they realise how hard it is for those taxi drivers who have had to pay so much for their taxis and which they have probably taken under loans?

And what is with being Maharashtrians? Isn't it more important for us to be Indians first? Why should it matter which state the corner samosa vendor is from as long as he's from India?

And more importantly, why the ordinary man? Why weren't there protestors banging on Amitabh Bacchan's door or Anil Ambani's or Vijay Mallya? Or anyone of the 'bigshots' for that matter.

And for that matter, how many of us are Mumbaikars by descent, the only ones who have claim to this position are the Kolis. The rest of us are all migrants.

Not one of us can claim Mumbai as our own and yet when people ask me where I'm from, I tell them Goa but that I'm a Mumbaikar at heart. But how do I say this now? Knowing that Raj Thackeray and his men claim Mumbai for the Maharashtrians and accuse the rest of us of stealing jobs from them.

How?

But most of all, I am disappointed in Raj Thackeray. When he first created the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, I thought he would be adopting a more virtuos path to success. He himself said that he would strive for a more tolerant society. He said that his blue-saffron-green flag stood for unity among the Hindus, Muslims and Dalits.

I think his stand today is more out of political desperation and impatience than anything else. It has formed from his inability to step out of the shadows of his uncle and brother. And it attempts to gain attention and publicity for the most flimsy of reasons.

It's Mumbai's cosmopolitan spirit that has made it the pride of India and this has only been possible due to the hard work and efforts of millions of people from states all over India.

Raj Thackeray's attempts to revive the 'Mumbai for Mumbaikars' issue has not worked.

And as someone once said, History repeats itself, the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.