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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Raj Thackeray tormented over ‘missing kids’ in state

Mumbai : Expressing grave concerns over the steep rise in cases of ‘missing children’ in the state, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray has accused the state government of treating the matter casually and failing to respond to it urgently.   In an open missive on 'X' to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) pointing at almost an alarming 30 pc increase in the number of children ‘missing’ in the state...

Raj Thackeray tormented over ‘missing kids’ in state

Mumbai : Expressing grave concerns over the steep rise in cases of ‘missing children’ in the state, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray has accused the state government of treating the matter casually and failing to respond to it urgently.   In an open missive on 'X' to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Thackeray quoted data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) pointing at almost an alarming 30 pc increase in the number of children ‘missing’ in the state between 2021-2024.   When asked for his reactions, Fadnavis told media-persons in Nagpur that he had not read the letter, but the issue raised is important and he would reply to it. Fadnavis stated that the NCRB has also provided the reasons why the kids go ‘missing’, how they return and the period, ranging from 3 days to 18 months.   Dwelling on the sufficiency of the NCRB figures, he contended that they reflect only complaints formally registered by the police and thousands of cases may never be reported.   On the ‘rescue, return and reunion’ of such missing children, he pointed to the sheer psychological trauma they may have suffered and sought to know how such child-lifter networks continued to thrive openly and blatantly.   The MNS chief targeted what he claimed was the “state’s lack of proactive measures to identify and dismantle child-begging rackets” as many juveniles can be seen begging at railway stations, bus stands, traffic signals, often accompanied by adults with doubtful authenticity.   “If some woman claims to be the child’s relative or guardian, should the government not order a thorough probe? Is it inappropriate to consider even a DNA test in suspicious cases,” Raj Thackeray demanded.   Slamming the government and the Opposition, he lamented how both sides failed to prioritise such urgent social issues in the legislature where discussions centre around partisan sparring.   The letter also mentions attempts by the Centre to coordinate with states on the ‘missing or trafficked children’, regretting how political upmanships and symbolic debates prevent meaningful action on the ground.   The NCRB said that Maharashtra has consistently ranked among states with the highest number of ‘missing children’, particularly in urban centres like Mumbai, Thane, and Pune.   Simultaneously, experts, child rights NGOs and activists have warned about trafficking networks that exploit poverty, migration and weak law enforcement and low convictions, despite official rescue missions or rehab efforts.   In his appeal, Raj Thackeray called upon Fadnavis to take concrete, visible measures rather than discussions and conventions. “Maharashtra expects decisive steps from you, not speeches. Jai Maharashtra,” he signed off.     In October 2023,Sharad Pawar red-flagged ‘missing girls-women’ This is the second major social cause by a political leader, two years after Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar had red-flagged nearly 20,000 ‘missing women and girls’ from the state between Jan-May 2023.   In the present instance, Raj Thackeray said that “behind the statistics lies a far more disturbing reality involving organised, inter-state gangs that kidnap children, physically abuse them and force them into begging rings”.   “Little kids are assaulted, made to beg and shifted across states. Groups of children disappear suddenly, and the government appears unable, or unwilling, to grasp the seriousness of what is happening,” said Thackeray in a strong tone.

Mayhem In Mumbai

Mayhem

In Maharashtra’s tangled electoral theater, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has again found itself caught in an uneasy tug-of-war with its nominal allies in the ruling Mahayuti coalition. In a high-profile debut, Raj’s son, Amit Thackeray, who is set to contest the Mahim Assembly seat, now finds himself facing a daunting challenge in a constituency marked by political crosscurrents and veiled grudges. The ruling MLA Sada Sarvankar of CM Eknath Shinde’s ruling Shiv Sena, has refused to back off despite previous intimations by the BJP that it would convince Sarvankar to withdraw.


Earlier, following Sarvankar’s intransigence, Raj Thackeray openly castigated Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. His ire, stemmed from Shinde’s refusal to rein in Sarvankar, who flatly refused to step aside in favour of Amit.


Yet, despite venting his spleen on Shinde, Raj spared the BJP from any direct rebuke, hinting that his bonhomie with the saffron party remained intact.


However, the BJP appears to be doing a delicate balancing act over backing Amit Thackeray in Mahim.


While endorsing MNS candidates for only one seat—the Shivdi Assembly seat, where Raj Thackeray’s lieutenant Bala Nandgaonkar is contesting—it has maintained an ambiguous stance on supporting Amit in Mahim.


BJP’s Mumbai President Ashish Shelar clarified that their endorsement is limited strictly to Shivdi, effectively withdrawing the once-discussed support for Amit. Despite Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s efforts to broker a truce, BJP’s MLC Pravin Darekar highlighted that any backing for Amit in Mahim hinges on the Eknath Shiv Sena’s co-operation - a condition that underscores the BJP’s unwillingness to risk its alliances over Mahim.


This latest development has left Raj Thackeray navigating an uncertain political landscape with less than a fortnight to go for the polls. While the MNS leader campaigned fervently for Eknath Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Shinde’s refusal to reciprocate the same for Raj’s son in connection with the Mahim Assembly seat is likely to have stoked Raj’s frustrations.


For Amit, the upcoming contest marks a critical political debut as he faces not only Sarvankar but also the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Mahesh Sawant, creating a high-stakes triangular contest in central Mumbai. The MNS’ twin debacles in the 2014 parliamentary and Assembly elections left the party in utter disarray, with the slide continuing through the 2017 civic election as well as the 2019 State and national elections.


Following its rout in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election, an atrophied MNS had changed its ideological direction from its nativist stance by veering towards Hindutva politics, signalled by Mr. Raj Thackeray’s 2020 adoption of a saffron flag incorporating Chhatrapati Shivaji’s royal seal or ‘Rajmudra’.


The BJP’s reluctance to commit unequivocally to the MNS points to a larger strategy. By keeping its support conditional and focused on Nandgaonkar in Shivdi, the BJP retains leverage without alienating the Shinde faction—a tactical move to safeguard its alliance in Maharashtra’s fragmented political climate. For the BJP, Raj Thackeray’s Marathi vote bank remains valuable, but not indispensable.


The BJP thus benefits from Raj’s ideological alignment (the latter had offered unconditional support to the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha), given his pivot towards Hindutva in the recent past. For the MNS and its leader, though, the Mahayuti’s ambivalence towards Raj Thackeray leaves the latter in a state of permanent political limbo.

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