Terming North Indians outsiders unconstitutional, says Advani

BJP's prime ministerial candidate LK Advani came down heavily on the events in Maharashtra, calling the terming of North Indians in Mumbai as outsiders unconstitutional.

This was, however, not enough for the party's state unit to come out in force against Raj Thackeray and they continued to play a subdued role in the raging controversy.

"What is happening in Maharashtra cannot be accepted. Since its inception, the BJP and the Jan Sangh have been working to preserve the integrity of the nation," said Advani.

Advani's statement may have bolstered his colleagues in Delhi, but sources add that prominent North Indian leaders in the party continue to be upset with the unresponsive attitude of the Maharashtra unit of the party.

Some senior leaders in Delhi have registered their protest with leaders like Gopinath Munde and Nitin Gadkari but there have been elaborate explanations for their pains. "The Maharashtra leaders said that this issue is an effort by the Congress-NCP to end the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, since the insider-outsider is a major issue for the Shiv Sena as well," said a senior leader in Delhi.

Therefore, while the party has been decrying the violence in Maharahstra, the fire and brimstone are missing in the statements issued by it. Not once have the BJP leaders mentioned Raj Thackeray by name in their demands for the arrest of the perpetrators of the violence in Mumbai.

"We are handing this issue to the Samajwadi Party on a platter because even the Congress is not responding as it should," said a BJP leader from north India.