“I have the open-heartedness to accept defeat! But our defeat is being criticised by all. Shivsena got the second position in the elections. But this is misleading as we got 32,000 more votes in the Assembly election than in the BMC elections. People have not rejected Shivsena. It's the candidate’s misfortune that he faced defeat. When they malign Shivsena, they're not realising that they are maligning their mother's womb.

They joined hands with Janata Paksha, without any guilt or remorse. It's a matter of sheer despair that in Mumbai, 25 candidates out of 32 are non Maharashtrians! This is woeful!

No one has had the bravado or sensitivity to represent the misery faced by Maharashtrians and Maharashtra. If the conspiracy of cutting off Mumbai occurs, these people will support that decision.

Shanti Patel, the President of Janata Paksha said, “People of Maharashtra have supported us wholeheartedly by responding to my appeal.” Ironically, this very Shanti Patel was rebuked by his own party members, but he treated Mumbai as his coveted trophy by saying “Maazi Mumbai.”

In the Sanyukta Maharashtra Andolan, Morarji Desai couldn't acquire Mumbai, and he got very adamant and bitter. He got the chance to avenge this defeat now. When Pandit Nehru humiliated him at the capital, he was left with feelings of vindication. He got the opportunity to avenge it now.

Mumbai being a cauldron of multiple cultures has always been very vulnerable. Hence nobody took cognizance of Marathi people. They were relegated to the background and completely dominated by the Janata Paksha. They insulted Marathi culture by forming nasty, distasteful slogans.

They don't own Mumbai. We don't want to create rifts between cultures and religions. We want a unified Mumbai. Hence we appeal to all stalwarts from different fields to join hands to remove the anti-Marathi vibes being percolated, get unified, form allies with the helpless politicians, and save Mumbai.

We appeal to the people to awaken to our slogan, “Mumbai Maharashtrachi, nahi konaachya baapachi!”

These are the days of Jayaprakash Narayan. Though this Andolan was not his doing, he is greatly influencing it. In fact, this Andolan is a one-man show by JP. The remaining parties and leaders are merely joining the bandwagon. A veteran, old and frail JP has a young following. We need to understand why.

Immature politics, newbie politicians, and vile opposition parties have polluted the country’s political environment. A highly moral, selfless personality like JP has created a rampart by unifying all parties and giving a clarion call against oppression. Hence he is revered and followed by the masses. Politicians fear JP and support him. Behind the facade of JP, all parties are trying to achieve their selfish agendas. Hence Andolan has been polluted by these wrongdoings which is very tragic. Starting such an Andolan in Maharashtra presently is not conducive. Dragging Mumbai in this way is not recommended. Taking advantage of the venerable JP by petty politicians is not in line with Shivsena’s principles. Instead of playing such low-life politics we will support and welcome the stalwart JP with open arms and heart.

The infamous Mahajan docket was out. The disappointed CM of Maharashtra, Yashwantrao Chavan handed it over to Indira Gandhi with a tacit promise of keeping secrecy. However, the other ministers were ecstatic as they didn't have to keep it a secret.

Maharashtra was disillusioned. It wanted fair justice. But it was contrary to that. The fight for this justice was ongoing since 1960 but to no avail. This Ahwal got perfunctory attention but damaged Maharashtra nonetheless. It declared that 50- 55% of Kannadi speaking villages are Kannad but 80% and more Marathi-speaking villages weren't Marathi! How is that fair?

In Bidar, taking cognizance of people’s opinions, their opinions were considered. But the same justice wasn't given to Belgaum. In Belgaum, despite the fact that there are more Marathi-speaking people, just not to inconvenience Kannada students, it wasn't considered viable for it to be assimilated in Maharashtra. They disregarded the opinions of experts and veterans too. The leaders are gloating with their pride.

To resolve border issues, we don't need intelligence but experience. If Ministers stay near borders, they will get a reality check. The wrongdoings of Kannada people will be exposed and will anger them. Hence intelligence and integrity are needed to resolve this issue.

Maharashtra’s glorious tradition and Maharashtrians sacrifice and efforts for nation-building is a matter of pride for us. Then, why is Yashwant Rao Chavan being an escapist by accepting this Ahwal? Hence the task of deciding the border issue is his responsibility alone.

Maharashtrians near the border have borne a lot of pain and sacrifice. They have demonstrated patience and resilience which has to be applauded. This can't be measured in a balance sheet. In this context, Marathi people are of a deadly resolve and expect the same from their leaders. If leaders don't stand up to these expectations, people will have to hold the reins. There's no force to stop the power of the common man yet. I wish to gently warn the leaders.