Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray to address North Indians, clarify his stand

MNS chief Raj Thackeray, known for his strong stand against people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar living in Mumbai, will attend an event organised by Uttar Bhartiya Mahapanchayat Sangh, a representative body of North Indians in Mumbai.

Raj Thackeray. PTI Photo

MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray, known for his strong stand against people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar living in Mumbai, will attend an event organised by Uttar Bhartiya Mahapanchayat Sangh, a representative body of North Indians here. Thackeray will be the chief guest at the event scheduled to take place in December in Kandivali. The mahapanchayat sangh, a forum which claims to work for the welfare of North Indians living here, had last month invited Thackeray to attend its meeting and share his views on Hindi-speaking people working in Mumbai. While there was no word from Thackeray, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande took to Twitter to announce that the MNS has accepted the invitation given by the North Indian forum. "This function will be held in Kandivali on December 2, 2018," he said. Later, speaking to PTI, Deshpande said the organisers wanted Thackeray to attend their meeting and clarify his stand on North Indians. "Our party leader has accepted the same and he will express his thoughts on North Indians in Mumbai," he said. Thackeray's acceptance of this invitation comes as a surprise to many as he and his party were often accused of targetting North Indians living in Mumbai. In the past, the MNS, which advocates "sons-of-the- soil" theory, had launched a series of agitations against North Indians living in the financial capital.