DNA
 
Mumbai, Apr 3: The Shiv Sena is getting back to its basics of the 80s and 90s, but of course with minor changes. This time round, the party has chosen neither to alienate the non-Maharashtrians nor is it in favour of closing down commercial or industrial establishments.

In fact, faced by a fast-losing mass base, the party now wants to win over the desperate working class, 80s once more. So, what started as a demand for the rights of mill workers and their children is likely to assume a bigger proportion in days to come, with the Shiv Sena stating clearly that it will continue to support and lead agitations for them.

Bharatiya Kamgar Sena(BKS), on Sunday protested against three city malls owned by Big Bazaar for allegedly sacking 120 employees recently. The malls were forced to shut down during the agitation. Interestingly, this was followed exactly after a week after Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray appealed his party workers to take to the street for the rights of the Marathi. He was speaking in 33 annual meeting of BKS in Bandra last Sunday. He said that the city first claim on the Mumbai is that of Marathis.

Kiran Pawaskar, General Secretary of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Employees Union run by Shiv Sena, said on Monday that the party’s agitation against malls and other huge establishments in the city will go on if they go on denying the rightful dues to their former employees. “No other mall has dared to retrench the employees to this extent, but in future if any of them even try, then our strategy will be same as this,” he said.

Admitting to his party’s pro-industry stand, president of Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Suryakant Mahadik told DNA, “We want more and more establishments to come up in the state and the as per our policy they never should be shut down.” But when it comes to fighting for the rights of the sons of the soil in the malls being constructed on mill land, the Shiv Sena claims that as much as 80 per cent of the total employment must come their way.

He said like other states like Rajastan, Kolkatta we demand 80 per cent of the jobs for Marathi, no matter the rest of the 20 per cent is occupied by whom. But we will fight for entire 100 per cent of the employees, without any preference for the Marathi manus.”

“Most of these establishments have come up on the mill lands, where workers from middle class spent their entire life nourishing the business. If their next generation doesn’t get their due share, then we will definitely interfere,” Mahadik said.