By IANS,
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray Friday promised to have post-Diwali “fire-works” for Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam for his recent pro-north Indian comments.
The reaction came a day after Nirupam exhorted Raj, his cousin and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and Yuva Sena head Aditya Thackeray to discard police security if they had courage and move around Mumbai unescorted.
“I had always cautioned the Shiv Sena not to give too much prominence to Nirupam… They made him a Rajya Sabha member twice, now look what he’s doing,” Raj said.
Meanwhile, Home Minister R. R. Patil said in Sangli Friday that Nirupam’s comments and its fallout had the potential to pose a law and order situation in Mumbai.
Patil said that the state government would “study” Nirupam’s speech and the response to it by Uddhav Thackeray, who had threatened that Marathis would “smash his (Nirupam’s) teeth” if north Indians attempted to shut down Mumbai, and initiate appropriate measures.
Raj Thackerya further questioned the need on the part of Shiv Sena to launch the Hindi eveninger “Dopaharka Saamna” and accommodating Nirupam as its first executive editor before making him a Sena MP.
“Was it to meant to gain the votes of the north Indians in Mumbai? Nirupam was a Shiv Sainik once and the Shiv Sena made him big. Now, what has happened, he’s dancing on their heads,” Raj declared.
Nirupam Thursday dared the Thackeray trio – Uddhav, his son Aditya, and cousin Raj – to take courage and discard their police security and move around the city unescorted.
The statement came in retaliation to Uddhav’s threat that Marathis would “smash his teeth” if north Indians attempted to shut down Mumbai, as Nirupam had said in Nagpur earlier this week, kicking off a controversy.
However, so far neither Uddhav or his son Aditya have reacted to Nirupam’s call to give up police security.