Indian Express
Jan 24, 2009
MNS salute to Hitler, apes Nazi-style greeting
by Rakshit Sonawane
Mumbai : While his estranged uncle Bal Thackeray has not made any bones in the past about his admiration for Hitler, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has gone one step ahead and decided to introduce the controversial Nazi-style salutation for the rank and file of the party.
Party sources said that at a meeting of Shakha Pramukhs held two days ago in Thane, MNS members were told to greet each other and party chief Raj by raising their right hand in “Heil Hitler” style and say, “Jai Maharashtra”, from tomorrow. Raj is due to address a rally in Thane on Saturday, coinciding with the celebration of the controversial Uttar Pradesh Diwas which the MNS has opposed.
The aim apparently is to bring in uniformity in salutation, promote discipline and ensure that all members remember that they have to work for the welfare of Maharashtra, an MNS leader said.
“Heil Hitler” was the Hitler salute which meant “Hail to Hitler”. It is a variant of the Roman Salute, adopted by the Nazi Party as a sign of loyalty to its leader. It was adopted following its use by supporters of Italian Fascism under the leadership of Benito Mussolini and other mass movements of the era.
The Hitler salute became the personification of Hitler’s cult in Nazi Germany. The salutation has also reportedly been adopted by some controversial neo-Nazi groups in Europe.
Raj, like his uncle and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, has in the past praised Hitler for his strict discipline and abilities to mobilise his countrymen after the devastation during World War I.
Raj’s Thane meeting on Saturday coincides with Uttar Pradesh Diwas celebrated by migrants in the region. The MNS has warned migrants not to go ahead with the event and the police, apprehensive that Raj’s rhetoric could spark trouble, have issued a notice to him, seeking details of what he plans to say.
Party sources had earlier said that Raj planned to respond to all the fun that was poked at him in the aftermath of 26/11 when angry citizens put up posters asking where Raj was when the attack was taking place and how north Indian commandos had to land in the city to save Mumbaikars.
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