Mumbai, Nov 3 (IANS) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Thursday warned that if Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders continued to make irresponsible statements on north Indian migrants, the Marathis could resort to extreme reactions and even riots.
Castigating the ‘politics played in the name of north Indians versus Marathis by organising festivals like Chhat Puja’, Thackeray said that leaders like Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh, city MP Sanjay Nirupam of the Congress and SP state chief Abu Asim Azmi’s statements had the potential to incite Marathis.
Raj Thackeray’s sharp reaction came in response to statements by Kripashankar Singh and Azmi at the Chhat Puja celebrations two days ago that ‘Mumbai does not belong to anybody’s father’ but to all who live and work here.
‘I would like to inform Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Home Minister R.R. Patil, that if the Marathis resort to violence, then we should not be blamed,’ Thackeray told reporters.
He urged the three to immediately intervene in the matter before the situation goes out of control.
The MNS chief’s remarks came hours after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray asserted in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ that migrants were not invited by anybody to the state and that ‘Mumbai would always belong to the Marathis’ and not outsiders.
Thackeray also challenged Kripashankar Singh, Azmi and Nirupam to prove who was ‘the father of Mumbai’ before making such statements.
