On the day that the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) started distributing forms for its flats in Mumbai,the Shiv Sena demanded that the same be allotted to the Marathi Manoos,who is being forced out of the city as housing has become unaffordable. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna,the Sena said that it wont be wrong to demand that MHADA flats be allotted to the Marathi Manoos at least in Mumbai. He said the city had been usurped by builders,putting houses out of locals reach. The Sena article further said that in Mumbais Malad and Malvani MHADA schemes of 850 flats,over one lakh applications had been received and over the next two days close to five lakh would be sold. Questioning the need for selling so many applications when there were just 850 flats,the article said that the computer lottery system may not tilt for the Marathi Manoos and they would have to wait for the next announcement of selling of forms. While the Shiv Sena called for 80 percent reservation of MHADA flats,MNS chief Raj Thackeray went one step ahead and demanded that all the available flats should be reserved for Maharashtrians. Speaking at a cultural event,he also said that he would respond to all the criticism heaped on him during the 26/11 attacks during a rally in Thane on January 24.
