Monday, November 24, 2008

Goon Agenda - Letter in India Today

The genesis of the Raj Thackeray phenomenon is sub-nationalism and not regional or parochial chauvinism. The non-Hindi states in India are virtual sub-nations while Hindi states are quasi-sub-nations. When Maharashtra was formed in 1960, the Gujaratis were the largest among the linguistic minorities. Over the years, this status has been acquired by the Hindispeaking community. Hindi leaders in Mumbai are bent upon destabilising the sub-nation called Maharashtra. India’s think tank should first accept the ground reality of subnationalism and then try to find solutions for it.

S.M. Gothoskar, Mumbai