Raj talks of pet peeve in Surat,migrants furious

“Over dozens of Prime Ministers have won election from various seats in Uttar Pradesh and have ruled the country. They have not done much development work in Uttar Pradesh and now we are suffering,” he said.

He praised CM Narendra Modi for the development in Gujarat.

On his part,Mehta said: “We cannot expect Raj Thackeray to be prudent as a guest. Kutchis will not tolerate such an attack on them and there are limits to their patience.”

The north Indian community in Surat sat on a daylong dharna to protest Thackeray’s remarks. People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,under the banner of Puruvanchal Vikash Parishad,wore black arm bands to protest his visit.

Puruvanchal Vikash Parishad president Dinesh Pandey said: “We are all Indians and each and every person is responsible for the growth and development of each city,state and the country. Raj came down to Gujarat to see the development of the state,but he should know that many north Indians have worked hard to add glitters to Gujarat. Majority of the people associated with the textile and embroidery industries come from different states in north India and it is due to their devotion and hard work that the industry has grown so well.”