Shiv Sena protests outside Shobhaa De’s house

TNN

Mumbai, 09 Apr 2015: Shiv Sena on Thursday staged protest outside novelist Shobha De’s building against her remarks on Maharashtra government’s decision to make it mandatory for all multiplex owners to screen a Marathi movie during prime time.

 

Protesters gathered near De’s Cuffe Parade residence and shouted slogans against her.

 

Carrying saffron flags in their hands, they presented vada-pav and Dahi to the building watchman in a symbolic protest.

 

However, Shobhaa De appeared unfazed by the protests.

 

"Police barricades are up! I am feeling perfectly calm and safe! Thank you, Mumbai Police," Shobha De said in a tweet.

 

Later at 4pm, a group of RPI supporters arrived at the same spot and began sloganeering against De.

 

 

"Shobha De Murdabad. Shobhaa De Murdabad," was the slogan the political supporters of RPI were shouting. Sumit Wajale, who led the protest, said, "We will protest outside her home, office and the places she visits. She should come before the Janata and apologize for her remarks." Around eight supporters of RPI were later made to sit in police van and sent to police station for their statement. "We have kept watch and no untoward incident has taken place. We have deployed police personnel in good number and taking care of bandoast," said senior inspector Sahrad Barde of the Cuffe Parade police station.

 

Police teams were deployed outside De’s building to prevent any untoward incident.

 

The novelist had earlier tweeted, "Devendra ’Diktatwala’ Fadnavis is at it again!!!From beef to movies. This is not the Maharashtra we all love. Nako! Nako! Yeh sab roko."

 

"You have done great service to the Marathi land in which you were born. It is unfortunate for Maharashtra that such comments came from a Marathi woman," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ’Saamna’ said here on Thursday.

 

Coming down heavily on the author, the editorial said, "Since you have termed the decision of the state government as dadagiri, let us tell you (Shobha)...Had Chhatrapati Shivaji, in his time, and Balasaheb Thackeray not done ’dadagiri’, then your forefathers and her children would have been born in Pakistan and you would have been attending Page 3 parties in a burqa."

 

"The comments that Shobha has made on Marathi culture and food amount to insulting the Marathi people. She has even insulted our culture," the Sena said.

 

When asked about the editorial’s reference to Pakistan, the party clarified that the comments were made only to highlight the fight of Shivaji and Bal Thackeray "against the injustice" meted out to Marathi people.

 

De, reacting to Maharshtra government’s controversial move to make it mandatory for multiplexes to screen Marathi films in the prime time slot, had earlier tweeted: "I love Marathi movies. Let me decide when and where to watch them, Devendra Fadnavis. This is nothing but Dadagiri."

 

The ruling alliance partner had on Wednesday sought to move a breach of privilege motion against the well-known novelist, taking objection to her tweet on Maharashtra government’s decision.

 

Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, raising point of propriety in the state legislative assembly, had on Wednesday said that De had hurt the sentiments of the House and sought to move breach of privilege motion against her.

 

He said that in her tweet, De remarked that popcorns will now be replaced by (Marathi delicacies) ’dahi misal’ and ’vada pav’ in multiplexes.