Congress activist Ashish Gosalia observed that Rane's views were strictly his personal opinion and the Congress has nothing to do with it.
Industries minister Narayan Rane’s statement that all those Gujaratis who praise Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi should go to that state evoked sharp reactions from community leaders on Monday.
A Twitter post started by a group of Gujaratis said, “Narayan Rane has accepted the Italian leadership (Sonia Gandhi), so will he go to Italy and stay there and eat only ‘pasta’ rather than his Malvani dish.”
Dinkar Joshi, Gujarati author and former president of Gujrati Sahitya Mandal, said Rane’s statement was “childish and aimed at cheap publicity.”
“Maharashtrians know the contribution of Gujaratis to the development of Mumbai. These huge contribution cannot be belittled by silly statements and tweets. Mumbai belongs to all Indians and all communities have a right to stay there. If they threw out Gujaratis, Biharis and South Indians, then who will remain in Mumbai? To construct the Rajabai Tower, Gujarati philanthropist Premchand Roy Chand had donated Rs4 lakh 200 years ago. He had also developed the stock market. Even, for Vile Parle station, Gopalchand Tejpal had donated his huge chunk of land. There are plenty of people who have contributed for the development of Mumbai,” said Joshi.
“Praising anyone is not crime. It is the fundamental right of a citizen to praise or criticise anyone. If I praise US President Barack Obama, then should I go to the US,” asked Joshi.
Pravin Chheda, city Congress leader, said Rane’s statement was uncalled for.
He said it was an “immature statement made for cheap publicity. It is not the official stance of the Congress party. Not a single Gujarati will leave Mumbai just because of the Ranes are demanding it.”
Chairman of Kapol Bank KD Vora said even the late Bal Thackeray had acknowledged the immense contribution of Gujaratis to the growth of Mumbai. Gujaratis were an integral part of the Mumbai mosaic.
“No one can be deprived of their right to air their views. It is absurd to ask Gujaratis to quit Mumbai,” Vora added.
Congress activist Ashish Gosalia observed that Rane’s views were strictly his personal opinion and the Congress has nothing to do with it.
Atul Shah, former MLA and BJP leader said, Modi is not only loved by Gujarati. “A recent survey revealed that 33% people loved Modi and this included Maharashtrains. All of them wanted Modi to be the PM. Should all these 33% people should go to Gujarat? It is a completely irrational statement,” he said.
Hemraj Shah, president of Gujarati Sahitya Mandal has written to state home minister RR Patil asking him to take action against Narayan Rane and his son for hurting the Gujaratis’ sentiments.
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