Mumbai: Hours after Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut left Mumbai for her home state, the ruling Shiv Sena stepped up its attack on her, saying she had been working to a script and was free to leave Mumbai. On her part, the actress said she had been terrorised with "constant attacks and abuses" and declared her analogy comparing the city to PoK was "bang on".
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, Transport Minister Anil Parab said, “ Kangana called Mumbai PoK. Now Mumbaikars will decide who will stay in Mumbai. Kangana is an actress working as per the script given to her.’’ If she really felt Mumbai was PoK then she ought to pack up and move elsewhere, Parab added.
“If Mumbai is this bad, then the actress should live where she finds it right. We had said this earlier too and we continue to hold this view,” said Parab. However, he clarified that his party had no personal issues with Kangana.
Parab made it clear that the Shiv Sena would not tolerate anyone criticising or using derogatory language about Mumbai.
On the other hand, Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik led a blistering attack against Kangana for her standing by her PoK remark.
Sarnaik tweeted, "Today, I understood the meaning of the saying, 'No matter how much you try, you can never straighten a dog's tail'. The people who used Kangana's support to malign the Shiv Sena government for the past one week have been left red-faced, as she has now left the city. Now they can keep shouting."
During the two-day monsoon session last week, Sarnaik had urged the state government to probe 'Kangana's drug links'. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had subsequently announced that the government had asked Mumbai Police to probe the allegation.
Meanwhile, Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil said, combating the virus was an important task before the state government but some people had raked up the SSR death case and Kangana Ranaut statements to defame the state.
Kangana has been targeted by the ruling Shiv Sena and its allies following her comments on the Sushant Singh Rajput case, comparing Mumbai to PoK. A prolonged verbal duel ensued between her and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. Later, the saffron party had charged the BJP for aligning with the actress despite her alleged attacks on Mumbai and Maharashtra Police.
