MUMBAI: The tirade of hate launched by the Shiv Sena and the father-son duo of Bal and Uddhav Thackeray over the issue of Marathi, immigrant cab drivers and film stars is now compelling people to ponder whether the Sena is turning into India’s Taleban.
A day after attacking Bollywood star and Kolkata Night Riders cricket team owner Shah Rukh Khan over his comments of hiring Pakistani and Australian cricketers, the heat is now on another Bollywood star, Saif Ali Khan.
Speaking on the sidelines of a function in Mumbai on Saturday, Sena chief Uddhav called Saif a “vagabond” and dismissed recent accolades.
“I fail to understand as to why the federal government has honored the actor with the prestigious Padma Shri Award for excellence in the field of art,” he said. “The Sena demands the immediate withdrawal of the award given to Saif.”
Uddhav’s demand found echoes in the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, which held protests in Jodhpur and demanded the withdrawal of award given to Saif. The actor was arrested in Jodhpur in 1998 along with four other film actors for killing a black buck, which is a protected species under the Wildlife Act. The Bishnois attach religious significance to the animal.
Commenting on the Maharashtra government’s offer to provide security to Shah Rukh Khan, Uddhav said: “We would follow the directives of our party chief Bal Thackeray of not allowing the Pakistanis or Australians to step on our soil. The government should take a lesson from the 26/11 terror attacks and first provide protection to Mumbai and then talk of offering security to others.”
The mudslinging of Shah Rukh Khan by the Sena continued on Saturday with Sena MP Sanjay Raut taking potshots at the actor for his alleged pro-Pakistan agenda.
“It’s not the actor speaking, but the voice of Khan. If the actor has so addicted to the Pakistani cricketers then he should host the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and let the Pakistani and Australian players play there,” he said.
Sena workers in Nashik held protests against the actor and made bonfire out of a stack of posters of his forthcoming film “My Name Is Khan.”
The Sena came under fire from former state chief minister and now federal minister for heavy industries Vilasrao Deshmukh, who called it a “publicity stunt.”
Speaking in Aurangabad on Saturday, Deshmukh said politics should not be drawn into sports.
“The Sena is doing these gimmicks to remain in the news and for this they are providing the stuff to the electronic and print media,” he said.
Speaking to journalists on the Sena threats, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe condemned the Sena.
“There is no need to drag politics into a gentleman’s game like cricket or any other sports. We give protection to all foreign players coming for the IPL. If needed and required we would provide security and protection at all multiplexes and theaters where the Khan’s film “My Name Is Khan” will be screened.”
Bagwe further said that the state government was prepared to offer protection to Shah Rukh Khan if he so requested.
