Sanjay Nirupam's remarks on north Indians irresponsible: BJP

BJP today dubbed Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam's remarks concerning north Indians as "irresponsible and exaggerated".

Criticising the remarks made by Nirupam last week in Nagpur that 'north Indians can bring Mumbai to a halt', Mumbai BJP chief Raj Purohit said being the language and culture of Maharashtra, Marathi should be respected by everybody.

"As a citizen of India, everybody is entitled to travel, live and work anywhere in the country. But, the local language and culture should be respected. Maharashtra is the only state in the country which has MLAs who hail from different parts of the country," Purohit said.

He said there are 3 MLAs from Karnataka and 11 from Rajasthan in current Maharashtra legislative assembly.

To a question on Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray's reaction warning Nirupam of dire consequences, Purohit replied, "reactions to such comments should also be within limits".

Regional parties have their own issues and agenda. However, Shiv Sena is a regional party with a national vision. They have reacted in their own way, he added.