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In a sharp reaction to Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan's controversial remarks on Marathi, Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray on Tuesday asked her not to provoke Maharashtrians, saying it was Mumbai that gave identity to the Bachchans bestowing fame when they were an "unknown commodity".
Describing Amitabh Bachchan as a great artiste whose acting talent transcended geographical and lingual barriers, Thackeray in an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said, 'Jaya Bachchan has been making controversial statements that have vitiated the atmosphere leading to discord. This has caused mental agony to her husband also.'
Referring to Jaya's off-the-cuff remark at a film promo party on September six that Marathis should pardon her as she
hailed from UP and would speak in Hindi, Thackeray said, 'Why these people are not going to the Southern states or Assam to hoist the flag of Hindi?'
The Sena chief said, The big shots in Hindi film industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, came here and flourished. 'After reaping the harvest, these people start asserting their regional and lingual affiliations and if Maharashtrians talk about their cultural identity, the Marathi Manoos is branded as parochial.
'Those who call us parochial should remember that Maharashtra's contribution to Indian nationalism is unmatched. Mahatma Gandhi had made Gopal Krishna Gokhale his Guru from whom he got the inspiration in country's freedom struggle. Maharashtra produced many revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for the country,' the editorial said.
Thackeray said, those who express their venom against Maharashtrians, should know that it was the great poet Bhushan
from UP who eulogised the fight of Shivaji Maharaj during the alien rule of Moghuls that saved and protected the country's
cultural heritage.
'With folded hands, I am once again appealing to these people that do not provoke us unnecessarily. If you rub us the wrong way and try to test our response, you will be on the run,' Thackeray said, adding 'Samaznewaleko Ishara Kafi Hai'
(just symbol is enough for the prudent).
Meanwhile, Jaya Bachchan has expressed her apology to Maharashtrians in a Mumbai daily.
On Monday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had called for boycotting all products endorsed by Bachchans and blocking the release of all films featuring any of its members in Maharashtra till Jaya Bachchan tenders an unconditional apology over her alleged anti-Marathi remarks.