Sonia, Rahul in Sena’s line of fire

After film stars, cricketers, RSS and corporate honcho Mukesh Ambani, it was the turn of Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to face the ire of the Shiv Sena on Wednesday. Rahul’s mockery of the Sena’s anti-North Indians drive was hard-hitting and the Sena responded with its familiar abusive style of politics.

But the Congress maintained a studied silence on the attack by Shiv Sena on party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi saying it did not want to respond to “undignified” remarks. “We would not like to dignify these undignified remarks with a response,” party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said on Shiv Sena raking up the foreign origin issue of Ms. Gandhi.

Stepping up its attack on Rahul Gandhi for the “Mumbai for all Indians” remark and raking up Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, party supremo Bal Thackeray said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna, “Mumbai may belong to all Indians but how can it belong to an Italian mummy.”

Ms. Natarajan said there was a “pernicious attempt” by the Shiv Sena to polarise the country on regional identities. “We strongly condemn any attempt to polarise our nation on chauvinistic lines and regional identity and any attempts to create discord and disaffection among citizens of different states,” she said. She said the Congress will call upon the people of the country to reject the ideology of hate and divisiveness spread by the Shiv Sena.

The Shiv Sena was scathing in its criticism of Rahul Gandhi's 'Mumbai for all' remark, arguing that Mumbai was not a guesthouse of the country. The party, in its diabolical game of one upmanship against its rival Raj Thackerays MNS, did not spare Home Minister P. Chidambaram, hitting out at the minister for his assurance of security for foreign players “The ‘Prince of Congress’ is totally frustrated and it is in this frustration he has insulted Marathi people and Maharashtra,”

Meanwhile, terming the debate on “Mumbai for all Indians” a conspiracy to separate the city from Maharashtra, Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said his party would never let it happen. He also opposed the idea of separate Vidarbha and said the agitation was intended to weaken the state.

Questioning the timing of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai scheduled later this week, Thackeray in a subtle warning said, “What is the need for this visit now? There may be elections in Bihar, but we will not tolerate anything spoken against Mumbai and Marathi pride.”

Criticising Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the Shiv Sena leader asked, “Is he the Home Minister of India or of Pakistan?” “If Chidambaram wants to protect Pakistani players, he should go to Pakistan,” Thackeray added.

He asked senior leaders in the Congress to advice Rahul Gandhi over the Mumbai issue. “Rahul’s babble about Mumbai should stop and senior Congress leaders should explain the issue to him,” he said.

Thackeray hit out at Chief Minister Ashok Chavan for not favouring Marathi people and changing his stand on issuing licences to taxi drivers. Backing the party activists’ protest against Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming movie My Name is Khan, Thackeray said, “Shah Rukh made a mistake by speaking in favour of Pakistani players while even Union Sport Minister M.S. Gill had also opposed the country playing with them after the 26/11 attacks.”

- Asian Tribune -