MUMBAI: Accepting an apology from Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan for the comments made by his actor wife and Samajwadi Party member of Parliament Jaya Bachchan on the issue of Marathi language, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) supremo yesterday called off the agitation against the Bachchan family.
Defying a police gag order, MNS chief Raj Thackeray hurriedly summoned a press conference yesterday afternoon and said that his party was withdrawing its agitation against the Bachchan family. “I have accepted the apology tendered by Amitabh Bachchan, and have asked my party cadres to withdraw the agitation with immediate effect,” Raj said.
“Let me make it clear that this is a victory due to the unity of the Marathi people and Mr. Bachchan and his family members should not cross the barriers of decency,” Raj added.
The row began last week at a movie promotion when Jaya Bachchan said she preferred speaking in Hindi since her family was originally from the northern Uttar Pradesh state. This was seen as a slight by Raj. “We are accepting Amitabh’s apology as he is the head of the Bachchan family,” Raj told reporters.
Jaya Bachchan had earlier apologized via an interview in an English-language newspaper Tuesday, but Raj’s supporters had demanded an apology to the Marathi press.
However, Raj took serious objections to the remarks of Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (law and order) K.L. Prasad that Mumbai is not anyone’s father’s property. “If Prasad wants to know and see to whom Mumbai belongs, then he should first check within his own police department, then vacate his chair, remove his service badge and uniform and come on the road, and he will know to whom Mumbai belongs,” Raj said and demanded that the state government should take serious note of the statement of Prasad.
Earlier, keen to prevent any escalation of tensions in Mumbai due to Thackerays’ politics following recent threats of MNS over films featuring Bachchans, the Congress High Command asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to take all possible steps to protect life and property of migrants in the state.
