IndiaRetailBiz

The ongoing battle to occupy Marathi space between the Thackerey cousins (Raj and Uddhav) could have far reaching consequences for organised retail in Mumbai, which accounts for lion’s share of the booming sector.

Reviving the ’sons of the soil’ agenda, while addressing the 33rd annual convension of the Sena affiliated Bhartiya Kamgar Sena, on Sunday, Uddhav Thackerey, called Shiv Sainiks to take to the streets to uphold the rights of Marathis over the city of Mumbai, reports The Times of India. “We consider Mumbai first as Maharashtra’s capital and then as India’s commercial centre. It’s time to stand up for our rights as the city’s indigenous residents,” he added.

Demanding jobs for mill workers’ children in shopping malls that hug the skyline of south-central Mumbai, Uddhava said: “Shopping malls are coming up on the mill lands but the government is not concerned about the welfare of the mill workers.”

Reacting sharply to the CM’s recent statement that “textile labourers’ children couldn’t be given jobs in shopping malls as they lacked education and professional skills,” he warned, “Shiv Sainiks will stop (the CM) Vilasrao Deshmukh from entering Mantralaya, if mill workers’ children are not given jobs.”

In a related development, he asked to forget Mandal and 27% reservation - “the Sena wants 80% reservation for locals in the BPO sector.”

Exhorting Marathis to shed their laziness, he asked them to “become enterprising to keep pace with this fast-moving world.”