MNS leader Raj Thackeray’s tirade against north Indians and film star Amitabh Bachchan is becoming a contentious issue.
Ram Vilas Paswan demands the MNS leader’s arrest
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray’s tirade against north Indians and film star Amitabh Bachchan is becoming a contentious issue. On Saturday, union minister of steel and Lok Janashakti Party chief Ramvilas Paswan demanded Thackeray’s arrest. Charging Thackeray with hurting the religious sentiments of people from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Paswan said that he was “creating divisions in the society on religious lines which is dangerous for national unity”.
Paswan insisted that no one should interfere with someone’s religious faith and wondered whether Thackeray would stop celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi if he is in Delhi. His criticism comes a day after both railway minister at centre, Laloo Prasad Yadav and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s both strongly objected to Thackeray’s opposition to the observance of ‘Chhath Puja’ and celebration of Uttar Bharatiya Diwas in Maharashtra.
An angry Yadav said: “Thackeray should take a dip in the Ganges [as is being done during Chhath festival)….. uska dimag theek ho jayega [It will set his mind right].”
The Congress too demanded that Thackeray should apologise for the “highly condemnable” remark.
At a function of the Konkani Mahotsav function at Versova on Friday, Raj Thackeray had declared: “I will not tolerate celebrating the formation day of other states in Maharashtra. Here, only Maharashtra Day should be celebrated.”
He did not stop there, but even attacked his own Bollywood idol Amitabh Bachchan “This is all Bachchan’s drama (dhong). Maharashtra made Bachchan a superstar. But he contested the Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. He became the brand ambassador for Uttar Pradesh. When he felt he should reach the vernacular audience other than Hindi he worked in Bhojpuri films.”
Thackeray’s sharp criticism of the actor has left everyone surprised and shocked. “In his young days, Raj was a die hard fan of Bachchan. He used to keep Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan’s photos on his table. Apart from Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Bachchan was the only person who was close to Raj’s heart. He even named his son Amit out of his love for Bachchan,” a source who knows Raj Thackeray well told DNA.
The reason for Thackeray’s newfound antipathy towards the actor is connected to the latter’s affection for Uttar Pradesh. Everything, from Bachchan’s social work in UP to his acting in Bhojpuri films to the recent case of setting up a school in that state have earned Thackeray’s wrath. What really got to him was a function in Mumbai on January 24 where Uttar Pradesh Day was celebrated. Thackeray’s estranged cousin, the Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray, was present at one of these celebrations. Some insiders believe that Raj’s problems with Bachchan started with son Abhishek’s wedding with Aishwarya Rai in April last year. “Bachchan invited Balasaheb for the wedding but not Raj, who was insulted,” the source said.
k_benedict@dnaindia.net
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