At a time when MNS is trying to stay politically relevant in view of crucial BMC elections next year, party chief Raj Thackeray today raked up the controversial anti-migrant agenda, saying the vote banks of 'outsiders' are being strengthened to detriment of locals.
"Vote banks of those from outside Maharashtra are being allowed to grow in order to finish off the existence of Marathi people," Raj said, addressing a meeting of district level functionaries of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) at suburban Matunga.
MNS was pushed to margins in state politics after it suffered major setbacks in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2014. The outfit has been plagued by desertion by cadres and party leaders amid perception that it has lost focus as well as appeal among voters.
"Our opponent is not from within the house but from outside," Raj said and asked party cadres to get ready for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, due early next year.
The high-stake elections to BMC are crucial for MNS which mainly exploits the 'sons-of-soil' versus 'outsiders' issue to attract Marathi votes.
In June, the MNS chief had said Maharashtra was facing similar problems as the UK, which pulled out of the European Union as 'outsiders' were taking away jobs leading to unemployment among locals.
He had used the Brexit analogy to queer the pitch against migrants.
'Marathi Manoos' in the state was losing out to 'outsiders', Raj had then said.
The problem was prevalent across the world but whenever I raised the issue, I was labelled narrow-minded, he had said.
"England pulled out from the European Union (EU) out of anger, as locals there were not getting jobs. They also have no work like Maharashtrian youth, as 'outsiders' had grabbed all the opportunities," he had said.
MNS thrives on anti-migrant agenda and has on numerous occasions targeted people from outside Maharashtra staying here and their businesses. Raj had even called for setting on fire autorickshaws, alleging most of the licences were given to non-Maharashtrians.
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