The Muslim face behind Raj Thackeray’s anti-outsider campaign

Sheikh says his uncle, Shabir Sheikh, a labour chief of the Shiv Sena, was a major influence on him. But he admits it was the “dynamic personality” of the young Raj Thackeray, who headed the Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, that attracted him to politics.

“From the very beginning, Rajsaheb wanted to do something for Maharashtra. His love for the state was so strong that he left his family (Sena chief and uncle Balasaheb and cousin Uddhav), the party (Shiv Sena) and position (BVS chief), to form a new party for the development of Maharashtra,” he says.

Sheikh was young and barely out of his teens when he joined the BVS. The Sena’s anti-migrant stand seemed something worth fighting for, he says. “We bashed the Railway board office at Bombay Central station, where they were holding a recruitment drive. While the locals were unaware of the recruitment drive in Mumbai, people from up north had come in hordes for the exams,” he said.

Haji claims they first appealed to the railway authorities to give the locals a chance. “The officials said the decision wasn’t in their hands and that it was for the Centre to decide. So we simply destroyed their office,” says the Class 12 dropout of Anjuman Islam school.

After Raj separated from the Shiv Sena to form the MNS, Sheikh followed him. “Every party is fighting for Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs but Rajsaheb is one leader who has always fought for Maharashtra, not for any caste or religion. I was born in Maharashtra and brought up in Mumbai and want to fight for my state. There are hundreds of Muslims like me who have joined the MNS,” he says.

Sheikh says he wants to take Raj Thackeray’s “cause” further. “In 99 per cent of the cases, outsiders are responsible for encroachments and illegal hawking. They are widely responsible for the law and order problems in the state,” he says. “Leaders from North should take back these migrants and let them hawk on their roads, footpaths and every inch of public space. Only then will they understand what we are going through,”

As a gift for leader’s birthday on June 14, Sheikh will kickstart the “Hatt Puja” campaign against “outsiders” in the city illegally.

“We have formed area-wise squads of 25 people each who will dress the traditional Maharshtrian way—dhoti, sadra and topi—and watch them. They will then inform the authorities and appeal for action against the encroachers,” he said.