Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday termed writer
Shobhaa De’s tweet suggesting that Mumbai be given the status of a
separate State as “frivolous.” He said the State would remain united.
Ms. De, on the other hand, has claimed the tweet, purely satirical, was
misconstrued. “Maharashtra and Mumbai??? Why not? Mumbai has always
fancied itself as an independent entity, anyway. This game has countless
possibilities,” Ms. De tweeted after the announcement of the creation
of Telangana.
“The comments are frivolous and should not be taken seriously. Neither
Mumbai nor Vidarbha will be separated from Maharashtra,” said Mr.
Chavan, adding, “Unity is our strength.”
The Shiv Sena held demonstrations outside Ms. De’s house in south
Mumbai, demanding an apology from her. “She must extend an apology to
the people of Maharashtra. She has hurt the feelings of Marathi people,”
said Pandurang Sakpal, Sena’s South Mumbai zone president.
State Industries Minister Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh, who runs NGO
Swabhiman Sanghatana, too slammed Ms. De, saying she was not aware of
the ground realities or people’s sentiments. “Rather than [on] Twitter,
Shobhaa De should say the same thing on the streets of Mumbai openly,
after which she won’t be left with any ‘shobha’ [dignity] forever,” he
said.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/shobhaa-des-remarks-frivolous-says-chavan/article4978768.ece
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