Gujaratis who praise Narendra Modi should leave city: Nitesh Rane

Gujaratis who praise Narendra Modi should leave city: Nitesh Rane


Congress leader Narayan Rane's son launches an attack on the community on Twitter.

Nitesh Rane, the younger son of Industries Minister Narayan Rane, has launched a scathing online attack on the Gujarati community in Mumbai - criticising them for praising Narendra Modi and mocking their choice of being vegetarians.

In a series of controversial tweets, Nitesh has asked "white-collar" Gujaratis in Mumbai who support the Gujarat chief minister to leave the city, so "Marathi manus can flourish" and "buy houses where there is no discrimination".

The 31-year-old leader of the youth group Swabhiman Sanghatana was referring to housing societies with mostly Gujaratispeaking residents that insist on renting out or selling homes to only vegetarians.

"Veg skies, Veg hospitals, Veg housing societies... soon Veg Mumbai! Either Gujjus go back to Gujarat or they turn Mumbai into Gujarat... Red alert!" reads a tweet he posted on Wednesday.

Nitesh's Twitter page, @NiteshNRane, has been flooded with angry posts from Gujaratis, who comprise around 18 per cent of Mumbai's over 1.24 crore population.

Nitesh, however, is unfazed. In an interview with Mirroron Thursday, he defended his criticism of the community, even calling its members hypocrites for praising Gujarat's development model instead of acknowledging the progress in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Why do you want the Gujarati community to leave Mumbai?

All I have been saying is that the Gujaratis living in Mumbai should know where they belong and where their loyalties lie. They live and earn their livelihood in this city, but praise Modi and Gujarat's development model. Such people should leave Mumbai and move to Gujarat.

The fact that they continue to live here is proof that they do not believe in Gujarat's development model. None of them want to go back; this hypocrisy must stop.

But do you see Mumbai without Gujaratis?

The Gujaratis settled here are white-collar workers: they hold important positions and businesses, and control the city to a great extent. If they leave, their positions can be easily taken up by locals and things will continue as they were. All the previous protests against outsiders were targeted at the poor north and south Indians, but never at Gujaratis.

What do you expect from the community?

They should stop being hypocrites. The community settles wherever there are business opportunities, and there is nothing wrong with that. They are in Mumbai because the city offers them lucrative options. It's time they figure out their loyalties and stop praising Gujarat and Modi. They should accept that Mumbai and Maharashtra are better off than Gujarat.

Why have you objected to their vegetarianism?

Many buildings have come up in the old parts of Mumbai such as Parel and Lalbaug. They are inhabited and controlled by wealthy Gujaratis. Even if I am willing to pay the top price for a flat there, I won't be allowed to make the purchase simply because I am a non-vegetarian. This is discrimination, and it must end. They cannot change the city as per their whims and fancies.

Your tweets have offended Gujaratis, some of whom are your friends.

I know that a section of the community, including my friends, is upset. Today (Thursday), I went to one such friend's house for lunch and he was a little angry. But I explained my views to him, and he now agrees with me.

"Veg skies,Veg hospitals,Veg housing societies..soon Veg Mumbai! Either Gujjus go back to Gujarat or they turn Mumbai into Gujarat..Red alert!"

"With Marathi money.. take them back to Guj and ask them to earn there n show"

"Surprisingly white collar Guju community was nevr a target who cleverly kept mumbai's financial chords with them!Now Modi's Guj awaits them!"

"If we look back all the andolans done for Marathi youth have always been for jobs where max salary wud b 4K..."

"As Modi has developed Gujrat so much so just thinking about their bright future if they move back there"

"Apparently Modi saved 15k gujjs in 2 days..can he also divert his plane towards mumbai n pick sum gujjus from here too!"

"All Hoo Haa of gujjus on twitter! Itni teekhi laagi Meri baat..chalo Modi ko bulao aur jaga khaali karo humare Marathis ke liye mumbai mein"

"Modi shud take al th gujjus bck frm Mumbai including Big Bso Marathi manus can flourish n buy houses wher ther is no discrimination on food"

"if Gujrat is booming... why don't we see migration of Gujratis in Mumbai goin 2 Gujrat"
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