Hyderabad: A day after local Shiv Sena leader, Nitin Nandgaokar, asked the Karachi Bakery owner in Mumbai to remove the Pakistan city’s name from the brand and rename it to “something in Marathi”, there were concerns that something similar might happen in Hyderabad too.
However, the Hyderabad unit of the bakery has expressed full faith in the city.
“We at Karachi Bakery have been serving the country since 1953 with best sweets and cakes. We believe in Hyderabadis that they would not take any such step to disrespect the name of Karachi Bakery,” said the marketing manager of the chain.
He further expressed happiness over the statement of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut who clarified that the demand for changing the shop’s name was not the party’s official stance.
A video had gone viral on Thursday in which Nitin Nandgaokar was seen telling the owner of the bakery: “Your ancestors are from Pakistan. You came from the country during the Partition and you are welcome. I hate the name Karachi. The city in Pakistan is a hub of terrorists.”
“They gave us a notice through an advocate to remove the word ‘Karachi.’ We have forwarded the notice to our owners who will take a call. As of now, we have made no change, nor have we covered the signboard,” said the manager of the bakery shop. He added MNS had “given them” 15 days’ time to make the change.
However, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, clarified that the demand for changing the shop’s name is not the party’s official stance. Raut took to Twitter and said, “Karachi bakery and Karachi sweets have been in Mumbai for last 60 years. They have nothing to do with Pakistan. It makes no sense to ask for changing their names now. Demand for changing their name is not Shivsena’s official.”
The statement from the party leader has come as a relief to other outlets of the famous bakery.
The headquarters of Karachi Bakery started in 1953, is located in Moazzam Jahi Market in Hyderabad. It was founded by Khanchand Ramnani ji and remains to be one of the popular bakeries in Hyderabad. It is known for its fruit biscuits, dil kush, and plum cake. As of now, Karachi Bakery has outlets in five cities— Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi.