Writer and novelist Shobhaa De’s “satirical” tweet on Wednesday stirred up a hornet’s nest with political parties accusing her of being anti-Maharashtra.
Reacting to Telangana being formed out of Andhra Pradesh, Ms De had tweeted, “Maharashtra and Mumbai??? Why not? Mumbai has always fancied itself as an independent entity, anyway. This game has countless possibilities.”
However, later, Ms De clarified that she did not say or “endorse” separating Mumbai from Maharashtra. “It’s a completely misconstrued statement by those who don’t know English satire. My tweet was on the political stunts being made (out of the creation of Telangana) and should be taken in the satirical spirit,” she told a television news channel.
Ms De’s clarification did not satisfy politicians in Maharashtra, with some even demanding that a criminal case be registered against her.
While Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP condemned Ms De’s tweet, MNS leader Raj Thackeray went one step ahead, and made a below the belt remark saying, “Separating Mumbai from Maharashtra is not as easy as getting a divorce.”
Sanjay Raut, Sena MP and editor of party’s mouthpiece Saamana, demanded that the police book Ms De for trying to separate Mumbai from the state. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar made a similar demand in the state legislature.