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Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi’s comment “Mera Baap Gaddar Hai” (My father is a traitor) against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde, who is contesting from Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, has sparked a political row between both the Shiv Senas.
Each of the Senas picked up a line from yesteryear Bollywood movies – Deewar released in 1975 and 1981’s Bulandi.
“There was a movie, you would remember, Deewar. In that film, Amitabh Bachchan shows his hand where it’s written ‘Mera Baap Chor Hai’ [My father’s a thief]. This is written on his forehead, on Shrikant Shinde’s forehead – Mera Baap Gaddar Hai [My father’s a traitor],” Ms. Chaturvedi had said on Wednesday evening at Ghatkopar area that falls under Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency.
Sanjay Dina Patil from Shiv Sena (UBT) is Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) candidate from Mumbai North East seat.
Her comment drew reaction from Mr. Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the alliance Mahayuti. Recent joinee to Shiv Sena from Congress, Sanjay Nirupam, criticised her comment labelling it “extremely indecent”, and yet made the same remark on Aaditya Thackeray. “If she believes in this verbatim, then it should be written on Aaditya Thackeray’s forehead as well that ‘My father is a great traitor’ Why? Because, it was his father who had betrayed by breaking the alliance with BJP. His father had committed a greater betrayal by not following Balasaheb’s ideology and getting into an alliance with the Congress,” replied Mr. Nirupam.
Calling Ms. Chaturvedi chatur (clever), spokesperson and deputy leader of Mr. Shinde’s Sena Sheetal Mhatre commented that her statements are coming at a time when her Rajya Sabha term is coming to an end and the impatience is visible. “You should tell people how you became an MP,” she said while adding that Ms. Chaturvedi does not have any connection with Shiv Sena, and should also clarify on her visit to Davos in 2022, “Also state, who all did you meet last week to get another MP term? You have said that you have what kind of Aaditya’s [Thackeray] photographs to get another MP term? Who are you criticising?”
Ms. Chaturvedi was one of the panelists at the World Economic Forum on November 1, 2022. For the programme themed – “Celebrating Mumbai: The pulse of India paving the way for new trends and positive changes”, she was joined by Mr. Aaditya Thackeray, filmmaker Meghna Ghai Puri, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Arjun Tendulkar, among others.
In response to Deewar, Ms. Mhatre picked up a dialouge from Bulandi starring Raaj Kumar and Asha Parekh – Billi ke daant gire nahi aur chali sher ke muh mein haat daalne (Cat’s teeth haven’t fallen and wants to put hand in lion’s mouth).
BJP’s Nilesh Rane, a former MP and Union Minister Narayan Rane’s son too reacted on micro blogging platform X, “What nonsense is this... Is it appropriate to talk about someone’s father on a public platform such as this? What if one of Mahayuti’s leaders had said something similar on the Thackerays? Would it be okay, had we spoken the same about her father?”
