Against the backdrop of MNS chief Raj Thackeray threatening to throw Biharis out of Maharashtra, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Monday said people have a right to seek employment anywhere in the country.
"Everybody has a right to go anywhere and seek employment," he told reporters outside Parliament House.
On Thackeray targeting certain news channels, he said, "It is not fair to target media. At times media criticises people and it should be accepted."
Known for his stand against people from Bihar who go to Maharashtra, specially Mumbai, to seek employment, Thackeray had last week threatened to brand them as infiltrators.
Thackeray had also accused Hindi news channels of "distorting" his statement. "I want to tell the Hindi news channel to first understand the issue before it is broadcast...otherwise we know how to deal with it," he had said.
Reacting to his statements, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had on Sunday lashed out at the Maharashtra government for not taking action against the MNS chief for his threat to Biharis.
"It is the duty of the central government and the government of the state (Maharashtra) to take note of the conduct of a person like Thackeray and deal sternly with such elements," Kumar had said.