Sena invites 145;outsiders146; in

Shedding the party8217;s earlier stance which advocated the ouster of paraprantis or outsiders from Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray embarked upon an enrolment drive exclusively for North Indians.

At a rally at Andheri yesterday, he said the Sena had never thought of North Indians as 8216;outsiders8217;. 8216;8216;It doesn8217;t matter if you are from the North or the South. We don8217;t have any bias against you,8217;8217; he said. Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam highlighted the need for North Indians in the state to unite. 8216;8216;We have to stop calling them parapranti,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;They8217;re an important votebank,8217;8217; he added.

For many of these paraprantis, proximity to the Sena is synonymous with a permanent address in the city. 8216;8216;Balasaheb ne bol diya to humein koi nahi hatayega. Mumbai mein permanent jagah milega If Balasaheb says, no one will throw us out. We will be able to stay here,8221; said one Ramlakhan Singh Narain. His sentiments are echoed by many others.