Hindsight is 20-20 for BJP

After losing Marathi votes to MNS in LS polls, party launches Maharashtra Vision 2020 to woo back the Marathi manoos

After losing Marathi votes to MNS in LS polls, party launches Maharashtra Vision 2020 to woo back the Marathi manoos

At the launch of the BJP's Maharashtra Vision 2020 yesterday, one could've been forgiven for assuming he had stumbled upon an MNS gathering. After all, they seemed to be speaking the same language. After losing a chunk of Marathi votes to Raj Thackeray's party during the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has now jumped onto the Marathi manoos bandwagon.

Marathi at airports
According to the 28-point Maharashtra Vision 2020, launched by state BJP president Nitin Gadkari, if the party has its way, announcement at airports will be in Marathi and Marathi newspapers will be compulsorily distributed in airplanes and trains. It will also be necessary for all government and private establishments to provide services in Marathi, besides other languages.

The document also noted, "The language [Marathi] can't maintain its position without extensive efforts at the government and private level."

The Lok Sabha poll results in the state were disappointing for the Sena-BJP. They suffered a major setback in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nashik, which constitute 12 Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP had expected to win at least nine, but won only one. This was mainly because the MNS ate into their vote bank.

When asked about the sudden love for Marathi manoos, BJP spokesman Madhav Bhandari told MiD DAY, "Political parties are like mirrors. Whether the subject is reservation, terrorism or any other burning issue, we bring into focus the issues that rankle people. When the issues of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada or any other languages are taken up, there are no political ripples. Why does the media raise eyebrows every time the Marathi manoos issue comes up?"

Bhandari, however, denied that they were taking up this issue to counter the MNS effect. "The Marathi manoos issue is the one-point agenda of the MNS. We have many more points on our agenda."

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