MUMBAI, 3 February 2008 — About 150 supporters of Raj Thackeray’s’ Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) stormed into a press conference yesterday held by Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh and raised slogans against Singh and his party for defending Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for his interest in Uttar Pradesh rather than in Maharashtra.
A shocked Amar Singh said that the attack was nothing but an exhibition of their frustration when they have no other issues. “When voting blocs shrink, political parties rake up useless issues,” he said.
The MNS attack followed a denunciation of Amitabh Bachchan by Raj Thackeray on Friday night while addressing a party function in the Dharavi suburb of Mumbai. Raj said Amitabh had no love for Maharashtra from where he blossomed to be a super movie star.
“Bachchan takes more interest in the affairs of Uttar Pradesh than of Maharashtra. And his heart and mind are more in Uttar Pradesh than here, where he resides and works. Bachchan has become a brand ambassador for Uttar Pradesh, not Maharashtra, and his loyalty lies with his home state,” Raj said.
State Congress spokesman Sanjay Nirupam, a native of Bihar, said that Raj’s remarks on Amitabh was a “foolish statement” that does not merit reaction or attention. “If people like Madhu Limaye, a Maharashtrian, can contest elections in Bihar, what prevents Bachchan from exercising his choice?” Nirupam asked.
