Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that his party believes in ‘Akhand Bharat’ and that Karachi will be a part of India one day.
He was responding to a question over the incident where a Shiv Sena leader allegedly asked Karachi Sweets shop owner in Bandra West to remove the word ‘Karachi’ from the names of their shop. “We believe in ‘Akhand Bharat’. We also believe that Karachi will be a part of India one day,” Fadnavis said.
A video of Shiv Sena leader Nitin Madhukar Nandgaonkar asking Karachi Sweets shop owner to change the shop’s name recently went viral. “You have to do it, we’re giving you time. Change ‘Karachi’ to something in Marathi,” says Nitin Nandgaokar in the video.
Mumbai: Video of Shiv Sena leader Nitin Nandgaokar goes viral, where he's allegedly asking Karachi Sweets shop owner in Bandra West to change the name 'Karachi'.
"You have to do it, we're giving you time. Change 'Karachi' to something in Marathi," says Nitin Nandgaokar in video. pic.twitter.com/PfmM4B65ac
— ANI (@ANI) November 19, 2020
After Nitin Nandgaokar’s visit, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut called the demand futile and clarified that changing the shop’s name is not the party’s official stance.
“Karachi bakery and Karachi sweets have been in Mumbai for the last 60 years. They have nothing to do with Pakistan. It makes no sense to ask for changing their names now. Demand for changing their name is not Shiv Sena’s official stance,” he tweeted.
Fadvanis’ comments followed, which in turn generated a response by NCP leader Nawab Malik who said the Maharashtra party would welcome BJP’s move “if it creates one country by merging India, Pakistan and Bangladesh”.
Replying to his statement, Malik said that the way Fadnavis had said Karachi would be a part of India in time, the NCP has been saying that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh should be merged.
“If the Berlin wall can be demolished then why can’t India, Pakistan and Bangladesh come together? If BJP wishes to merge these three countries and make a single country, we will welcome it definitely,” he said.
