MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena’s alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has joined hands with the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) in opposing the Sena over statements that Maharashthrians should be given preference on certain jobs in the state.
The BJP vice president and deputy leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde, spoke out in support of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
Munde said “There was nothing wrong in the statement made by Shah Rukh Khan. The BJP has no objection to any players from any country playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) including Pakistan,” he told journalists in Mumbai on Monday.
“It’s wrong to discriminate people on basis of caste, religion, language or regionalism. Every Indian has the right to reside and work in any part of the country including Mumbai,” Munde added, criticizing the Sena position.
Munde agreed with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on Sunday, that Mumbai belongs to all, and Indian citizens can work and stay there. Bhagwat had also said that no one could stop any Indian from working and residing in Mumbai.
“Language, caste, sub-castes, groups, tribes can be different, but all are sons of India,” Bhagwat had stated.
Speaking to Mumbai media from Delhi, the BJP president Nitin Gadkari said that the BJP does not believe in anti-language and anti-regional disputes and that the ongoing issue about Mumbai and Marathi was not acceptable to his party.
“According to Article 19 (1) of the Indian Constitution, any Indian citizen can move in any part of the country freely, reside and work there,” he added.
Senior Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi said that the RSS should not take an opposition stance and urged the party to reconsider.
Joshi added that the time has come to remind RSS that Mumbai belongs to Marathi people only and they should get priority.
“Mumbai’s glory is due to the hard work of Marathi people and they have full right over the city,” he said.
The Congress also came out in support of Khan and said that the government would provide all protection for him.
Federal Minister of Home P. Chidambaram has also said that Mumbai belongs to all.
He added that the government guarantees complete protection to the Australians and other foreign cricketers that would come to the country to play in cricket matches.
Meanwhile, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday told the RSS and BJP to mind their own business and not to dabble in the affairs of Maharashtra.
“The RSS and BJP should divert their attention to South India and campaign for the Hindi language in that region,” he said.
