After MNS rap, real estate agent apologises for vegetarian-only rental ad

“I apologise to Mumbaikars – if I have hurt anyone’s sentiments, I am sorry. I also apologise to the MNS and Amit Thackeray,” said real estate agent Bhavesh Kaware

Mumbai: Real estate agent Bhavesh Kaware, whose recent advertisement for a rental house in Tardeo open only to vegetarians sparked a row, on Sunday met Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray and subsequently tendered an apology.

Real estate agent Bhavesh Kaware

“I apologise to Mumbaikars – if I have hurt anyone’s sentiments, I am sorry. I also apologise to the MNS and Amit Thackeray. I do not wish to escalate the controversy. I am giving houses to Marathi (speaking) people and will continue to do so. I did not expect the advertisement would create such a controversy,” Kaware told reporters.

Kaware was felicitated by Thackeray as a social media content creator a couple of years ago, sources in the MNS said. But last week, he put up a post on social media regarding a rental house in Tardeo that only vegetarians could rent, which invoked strong reactions, with many slamming the real estate agent for creating a rift between communities by foregrounding religion, caste and food preferences in housing deals.

The controversy prompted Thackeray to summon Kaware to his home, Shivteerth in Shivaji Park, on Sunday afternoon, MNS sources said. The MNS leader told him that when people of Mumbai were speaking in one voice about social and civic problems, the advertisement could create unnecessary controversy and divert the attention of people from real problems in the city.

“Bhavesh, you were doing good work. You should not go after anyone’s religion or caste. What you said in the advertisement was wrong,” MNS leaders quoted Thackeray telling Kaware.