Annamalai Dares Raj Thackeray: 'Try Stopping Me' from Entering Mumbai
BJP's Annamalai challenges Raj Thackeray to stop his Mumbai visit amid threats and anti-Tamil jibes.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader K Annamalai has issued a defiant response to Raj Thackeray, asserting that no threats or political intimidation will prevent him from visiting Mumbai. Speaking on Monday, the former IPS officer dismissed reports and social media posts warning of physical attacks, daring detractors to act on their threats.
Annamalai leaned on his roots as a farmer’s son to highlight his resilience, stating, “If I were the type to be scared of such talk, I would have stayed in my village.” He specifically challenged the Thackeray cousins’ attempts at intimidation, emphasizing his determination to assert his political presence in the city.
The conflict escalated during a campaign rally by Raj Thackeray for the upcoming January 15 civic polls, where he mocked Annamalai by calling him “rasmalai” and revived the 1960s Shiv Sena slogan, “Hatao lungi, bajao pungi,” historically used against South Indian migrants in Maharashtra.
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Annamalai condemned the remarks, saying they went beyond personal attacks and insulted Tamil culture. He refuted suggestions that praising Mumbai or Tamil leaders like K. Kamaraj disrespected Maharashtrian pride, noting, “Only an ignorant person would think so,” while highlighting the absurdity of framing civic appreciation as cultural offense.
The BJP leader also criticized the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for remaining silent despite the Shiv Sena (UBT) targeting Tamil identity in the current alliance. With municipal elections in Mumbai and Pune imminent, Annamalai insisted that politics through fear would no longer work and reaffirmed his commitment to visiting the city.
As the political temperature rises ahead of the polls, Annamalai’s statements signal a combative approach by the BJP in Mumbai, challenging the dominance of regional parties while asserting the protection of South Indian identity and political rights in Maharashtra.
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