Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray will launch the Konkan edition of party mouthpiece Saamna on November 9.
The move is seen as an apt weapon to tackle rebel Narayan Rane as the by-poll campaign to the Malvan assembly constituency intensifies.
The edition’s launch will take place the day the Sena executive president begins campaign for the by-election.
“We had planned to launch the edition much earlier. Our preparations were underway for quite some time. It has been formalised now,” said Saamna executive editor Sanjay Raut.
“We have observed that the local press is under pressure from Rane and is not doing justice to us. The best way to deal with Rane’s propaganda is to use our most effective tool,” Raut said.
Thackeray has some more reasons to launch Saamna in Konkan during the by-election.
A major chunk of its readers in the Mumbai-Thane belt is the migrant from Konkan. Many of them are registered as voters at their native places in Konkan.
The Sena believes Saamna can influence them. Also, the presence of the party’s newspaper will also put some pressure on the local administration — which the Sena alleges — backs Rane.
Raut said the edition will be published from Ratnagiri and will cover the entire Konkan and neighbouring Goa.
In the past, Saamna has played a significant role in spreading the Sena ideaology beyond the Thane-Mumbai belt.
The newspaper has also been accused by secular outfits of spreading communal hatred while Thackeray has always described it as an advocate of Hindutva — his favourite plank.
No comments:
Post a Comment