Nitish lashes out at Raj Thackeray
Patna: February 4, 2008
 Shedding his usual persona of a mild-mannered politician, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday took a tough stance on the controversy concerning Raj Thackeray stating Mumbai would be destroyed if the so-called 'outsiders' were kicked out of Maharashtra as Thackeray had been promoting since his unceremonious departure from the Shiv Sena.
Calling the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief a 'devil-incarnate', Kumar, during a press conference following his weekly Janata Durbar in Patna, reminded Thackeray that Mumbai or Maharashtra was not anyone's personal property and each citizen of India was well within his or her right to live and earn a living in any part of the country without fear of any backlash based on religion or region.
The Chief Minister asked the Maharashtra government to take stern measures against Thackeray 'before it is too late'.
"While I think there is no need of it yet, if needed, however, I will not hesitate in taking up this issue with the Home Ministry. Thackeray's actions are clear instances of attempts to disturb peace in the nation and such acts must be nipped in the bud," he said adding a man (Thackeray) who did not know the ABC of the Indian culture, it was too much to expect from him to understand the religious importance of Chhath.
Other leaders in Bihar also lashed out at Thackeray showering him with names like idiot, bigot, racist, Nazi, and 'shaitaan'.
Congress leader Kripanath Pathak, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) general secretary Mrityunjay Kumar, Janata Dal – U leader Vijaya Singh, and Shiv Sena leader Arun Kumar Gupta and leaders of the Muslim United Front called for Thackeray's arrest while burning his effigy at various places in the state capital.
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