Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray attacked late actress Sridevi while addressing party workers at a rally in Mumbai Sunday.
Raising questions on the state honors accorded to the legendary actress during her funeral, Raj Thackeray said: "Sridevi was a great actor, but what did she do for the country for her body to be wrapped in the tricolor?"
He added: "Nirav Modi was the talk of the town, then the issue of Sridevi came in. This was brought to change the issue. When a person like Sridevi dies, you wrap her in the tricolor and you say you did that because she was a Padma Shri. It was all fault of the Maharashtra government."
For those unaware, Sridevi had breathed her last in Dubai on February 24 due to accidental drowning. She was dressed in a red Kanjeevaram saree and was cremated on February 28 with state honors at the Pawan Hans crematorium in Vile Parle.
Before her cremation, Bollywood celebs along with fans had gathered at the Celebration Sports Club in Lokhandwala to pay their last respects.
Raj Thackeray rails on
Raj Thackeray's rant didn't end with Sridevi. He also said films like Toilet Ek Prem Katha and Padman were a covert propaganda for government schemes.
According to India TV, Raj Thackeray also said Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who starred in both the films, was trying to follow in the footsteps of Manoj Kumar, an actor who was popularly known as Bharat Kumar for the patriotic slant in his films.
"But Akshay Kumar is not even an Indian citizen. He holds a Canadian passport and Wikipedia describes him as an Indian-born Canadian actor," Thackeray said.
