Raj Thackeray and his MNS have been skeptical to North Indians especially Biharis, but a recent development has showed a completely different scenario. Bhojouri Superstar Manoj tiwari was invited as the Chief Guest to a Cricket Tournament in Kandivli (East) organized by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
This has left political observers stunned and while some see it as a beginning of a new era others call it the opportunistic nature of politicians.
When Contacted, both sides confirmed the incident. Akhilesh Chaubey, the General Secretary of MNS (strange??) said ” We have good relations with Tiwari, so we invited him. He was not the only celebrity there, many other Marathi stars were also present at the event”.
The Bhojpuri Superstar has also confirmed his visit. Tiwai said “What’s the harm in attending an MNS event? Yes, there were problems at one point, but if things are normal now, and the going is good, why should I not attend an event I have been invited for?”.
Noteworthy Points
1. MNS had raised objections to the screening of the film Deshdrohi starring Manoj Tiwari, which was based on the agitations agianst North Indians.
2 MNS regularly condemns Bhojpuri cinemas getting screened in the halls and multiplexes of Mumbai.
3. Manoj Tiwari earlier contested polls on Samajwadi Party ticket from Gorakhpur.
Political Analysts attribute this to the light of upcoming upcoming BMC elections in February 2012. During 2009 polls, MNS had used campaigns in Hindi to lure North Indians.This progress is also in the same direction to lure voters in Kandivali where majority are North Indians.