City Cong. chief says hawkers are attacking MNS workers in ‘self-defense’

Mumbai: City Congress president Sanjay Nirupam was booked for addressing a rally of hawkers in Malad on Saturday without prior police permission. After Mr. Nirupam addressed the rally of around 150 hawkers, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers trying to evict hawkers outside Malad railway station were assaulted.

Police have arrested seven hawkers under various IPC sections, including 307 (attempt to murder). “A case has been registered against Sanjay Nirupam at Malad police station for holding the rally without prior permission,” DCP Deepak Devraj, spokesperson, Mumbai Police, said.

On Sunday, Mr. Nirupam asked hawkers to take on those attacking their livelihood in self-defence, referring to the attack by hawkers on MNS worker Sushant Malavade in Malad on Saturday. He said since the police were refusing to protect them against the MNS, they were justified in retaliating. “The police are quick to charge me when all I did was hear the woes of the poor. But no such case was ever filed against Raj Thackeray for doing the same earlier during his rally in Churchgate.” He alleged that the BJP-led State government had deliberately failed to implement hawking zones in Mumbai to extort protection money from hawkers. The MNS leaders, too, were part of this extortion racket that allegedly amounted to ₹2,000 crore a year.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray refused to speak to reporters after visiting Mr. Malavade in a Kandivli hospital on Sunday, accompanied by his son, Amit. MNS leaders, however, battled on. “Our stir continues because our fight is to clear Mumbai of hawkers. We’ve had to step in because the local authorities are not doing their job,” Sandeep Deshpande, general secretary, MNS, said.

Nitesh Rane blames Cong.

Congress MLA Nitesh Rane tried to give a regional colour to the hawker issue, claiming the MNS is backing Maharashtrian hawkers while the Congress is supporting North Indian ones.

Initially, he tweeted claiming an “attack on Marathi manus” by North Indian hawkers. Later, he seems to have deleted the tweet. “Does the Congress Party want to be known as the party for North Indians or does it also want Marathi people to vote for it…. Doesn’t look like it,” he tweeted. — With PTI inputs