Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray found himself in the midst of a new controversy following his jibe on the Bihar migrants in the city on Friday.
Earlier reports suggested that Bihar authorities objected the detention of Abdul Qadir, a suspect in the latest Mumbai's Azad Maiden violence case, and have supposedly issued a warning to Mumbai authorities to keep their counterparts in the loop before detaining anyone from Bihar.
Commenting on the reports over Bihar authorities' warning to their Mumbai counterparts, Thackeray on Friday spewed venom threatening to label Biharis as the "infiltrators" and drive them out of the state.
After coming under intense criticism, Thackeray warned Hindi local television channels to stop misquoting him or he would shut down those channels for misleading people on his statements.
Irked by Thackeray's 'hate' remarks, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed the Centre and Maharashtra governments for their inability to control the MNS chief.
Speaking to reporters, Nitish wondered how the government will tackle terrorism if they are not able to deal with a person like Thackeray. He said that the MNS chief has been doing all this for publicity sake and that his actions had nothing to do with democracy.
The Bihar chief minister said that citizens are entitled to move into any of part of the country to find a living.
According to media reports, Nitish pulled up the Maharashtra government over the issue, asking whether the state government has outsourced the governance to Thackeray.
What remains to be seen is whether the Government will seek action against Thackeray for his remarks.
Various political leaders have condemned Thackeray's remarks, saying that such statements could possibly incite violence amongst communities. The MNS chief has been heading a campaign against Hindi-speaking people and migrants from North-Indian states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for years now.
Several political leaders including CPM leader Prakash Karat and BSP supremo Mayawati has sought for investigation and legal action against Thackeray's inflammatory remarks.
"Everybody has a right to go anywhere and seek employment," said Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, while taking to reporters. Referring to Thackeray's warning to sue some of the Hindi channels, he suggested that "It is not fair to target media. At times media criticises people and it should be accepted."
However, Thackeray found respite amid the taunting political circle, when Shiv Sena chef Bal Thackeray shared similar sentiments with his nephew (Raj Thackeray).
According to a CNN IBN report, the Shiv Sena head in the party's publication 'Saamna' said that Bihar's warning against Mumbai police for detaining a suspect who allegedly vandalised Amar Jawan Jyoti during August 11 violence is wrong.
There are already several compalints filed against Thackeray after he led last month's Azad Maidan protest against August 11 violence in Mumbai. A non-cognizable offence complaint was also filed against him for using unparliamentary language referring to Samjwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi during the protest.
The MNS chief is currently facing the possibilities of several other complaints against him over his remarks directing to Biharis.
