Rahul Gandhi to visit Mumbai despite Sena’s word of caution
By ANIThursday, February 4, 2010
NEW DELHI - Despite Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray’s warning, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is expected to visit Mumbai on Friday.
The Congress party has confirmed Gandhi’s trip to Mumbai, which includes stops at two colleges that was scheduled before Thackeray threatened him to stay out of Mumbai’s affairs.
However, the sources in the Congress government said the party is nervous about security arrangements taking into account the Shiv Sena activists targeting Gandhi.
Thackeray on Wednesday said, “Rahul should not interfere in Marathi affairs. Rahul should stop all this or we won’t allow him into Mumbai.”
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray had also hit back at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mumbai for all Indians’ comment by saying Mumbai may belong to all Indians, but how can it belong to an Italian mummy.
In a statement in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, Thackeray said, “Mumbai was not a guesthouse of the country that anyone comes to Mumbai and leaves.”
Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra and Marathi people, Thackeray said, and added, “If anyone is going to murder this truth, he will have to face weapons of Maharashtra.”
Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticized both the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for their unwarranted attacks on north Indians, and said that every inch of India belongs to each and every Indian. (ANI)
