Mumbai, February 16: Reiterating the Shiv Sena’s ban on Australian cricketers playing in Mumbai and Maharashtra to protest the attacks on Indians in Australia, Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on Monday again targeted actor Shah Rukh Khan for his statements in support of Pakistani cricketers who have not been selected for the IPL season.
Speaking via video conferencing at the ‘Akhand Maharashtra Parishad’ organised by the Sena here, Thackeray said he had announced a ban on Australian players due to the attacks on Indians in Australia.
Union Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar had met Thackeray recently with BCCI officials to seek a change in the Sena’s stance.
Thackeray said he was not opposed to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s movie My Name Is Khan and pointed out that Pakistan had been carved out from India and hence Khan had no right to express love for Pakistan if he was an Indian. He attacked politicians from the Congress for supporting Khan on this issue.
Without naming Revenue Minister and Sena detractor Narayan Rane, Thackeray also warned people against jumping to conclusions about the Sena’s influence being on the wane.
Thackeray also criticised demands for a separate state of Vidarbha, and pointed out that the region had given chief ministers and many ministers to the state so far.
Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray called on all parties to unite across political lines to prevent the fragmentation of Maharashtra and also questioned why the demands for separating Vidarbha from Maharashtra had been raked up now.
—-PTI