In the lead-up to Mumbai's civic elections, a remark about the city's identity has opened a deeper old wound: who belongs in Mumbai, and who gets to speak for it. K Annamalai, a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, called Mumbai an international city that belongs to more than Maharashtra, and Raj Thackeray answered with mockery and with a slogan long used against South Indians in the city. What began as a campaign phrase now carries the weight of a question that has circulated through Mumbai's politics for decades, namely how a city of migrants can honour its founding communities without shutting its d
Annamalai Defends Mumbai Remark as Thackeray Cousins Trade Barbs Over 'Lungi' Slur and Tamil Identity
Try cutting my legs.
In the lead-up to Mumbai's civic elections, a remark about the city's identity has opened a deeper old wound: who belongs in Mumbai, and who gets to speak for it. K Annamalai, a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, called Mumbai an international city that belongs to more than Maharashtra, and Raj Thackeray answered with mockery and with a slogan long used against South Indians in the city. What began as a campaign phrase now carries the weight of a question that has circulated through Mumbai's politics for decades, namely how a city of migrants can honour its founding communities without shutting its doors.
At a joint rally in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena took a swipe at K Annamalai, the BJP's former Tamil Nadu state president, by calling him "rasmalai." The jibe answered a remark Annamalai had made while campaigning for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections: that Mumbai belongs to more than Maharashtra because it is an international city.
Thackeray, speaking alongside the Shiv Sena (UBT), questioned Annamalai's right to speak about Mumbai at all and invoked the slogan "hatao lungi, bajao pungi," a phrase used derogatorily against South Indians in the city. The exchange shifted from a question about the city's character to one about how South Indians are treated there.
Annamalai replied from Chennai. He said some people had threatened to cut his legs if he came to Mumbai, and he answered that he would come anyway and they could try. He argued his words were twisted, asking whether calling Kamaraj a great leader made him less Tamil, and whether calling Mumbai world-class denied Marathis their part in building it. He accused Shiv Sena leaders of insulting Tamils over their clothing and questioned why the DMK shares political space with such parties.
The row is still unfolding in the run-up to the BMC polls, and Annamalai's challenge to the DMK suggests it may travel into Tamil Nadu's politics too.
At a joint rally in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, took a swipe at a visitor from Tamil Nadu by calling him "rasmalai". The target was K Annamalai, the BJP's former state president in Tamil Nadu, and the jibe was Thackeray's answer to something Annamalai had said days earlier.
Annamalai had travelled to Mumbai the previous week to campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. During that campaign he said Mumbai does not belong to Maharashtra alone, because it is an international city. The remark set off a row.
The rally where Thackeray responded was held jointly by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS. Besides mocking Annamalai's name, Thackeray questioned his right to speak about Mumbai at all. He also invoked the slogan "hatao lungi, bajao pungi", a phrase that has been used in a derogatory way to target South Indians living in Mumbai.
Annamalai answered from Chennai. He said some people had written that they would cut his legs if he came to Mumbai. His reply was direct: he will come to Mumbai, and they can try cutting his legs.
He also argued that his words had been twisted. To make the point, he drew a comparison with Tamil Nadu's own history. If he calls Kamaraj one of India's greatest leaders, he asked, does that mean Kamaraj is no longer Tamil? And if he calls Mumbai a world-class city, does that mean Maharashtrians did not build it? He said the city's growth is intrinsically tied to the contributions of the Marathi people.
Annamalai then turned the argument toward the Shiv Sena leaders. He accused them of insulting Tamils by referring to their clothing, including lungis and veshtis. He added that it was surprising that the DMK shares political space with such parties.
The exchange is part of the run-up to the BMC elections, and it has moved from a remark about Mumbai's character to a dispute about how South Indians are spoken of in the city. Annamalai has said he will go to Mumbai regardless, and his challenge to the DMK over its associations suggests the argument may reach Tamil Nadu politics as well.
Citazioni salienti
I will come to Mumbai. Try cutting my legs.— K Annamalai
If I say Mumbai is a world-class city, does that mean Maharashtrians didn't build it?— K Annamalai
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Politics & Governance