What do you think of our party? MNS asks citizens in a letter

Party sends letters in Marathi to locals highlighting the agitations and causes it has taken up for them

Party sends letters in Marathi to locals highlighting the agitations and causes it has taken up for them

POST-HASTE: MNS wants people to write their views on the above letter and post it back to its chief Raj Thackeray

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) wants to get into the minds of the people and know their views on the party and its sons-of-the-soil movement.

As part of this exercise, MNS activists are distributing inland post letters to citizens that are addressed to the party chief, Raj Thackeray. The citizens are expected to affix the postage stamp and send it to Raj.

Several such letters in Marathi, a copy of which is with MiD DAY (see pic), have been delivered to residents of the Sewri-Byculla division. MNS activists are also visiting their homes and urging people to either send the letters to Raj or hand them over to party officials.

Contents

The letter mentions the agitations carried out by the MNS for the benefit of the Maharashtrians like making it mandatory for all shop signboards to be in Marathi, implementing Marathi as a compulsory language in schools and also demanding preference for locals in government jobs.

The letter further goes on to say that non-Maharashtrians and the rulers of the state are trying to isolate Raj. It urges the citizens to voice their opinion on the party's agitation against the 'outsiders' and assures citizens of complete secrecy.

MNS spokesperson Nitin Sardesai, however, denied any such exercise. "We are not carrying out any such exercise. Local party activists may be involved in such an activity to know the views of local residents," said Sardesai.