Mumbai belongs to all of India, says Chidambaram

Slamming the Shiv Sena for its controversial 'Mumbai for Marathis' slogan, Home Minister P Chidambaram said such a 'pernicious' thesis has to be rejected and the city belongs to all of India.

Updated on: Feb 1, 2010, 17:46:03 IST

IANS | By HT Correspondent, New Delhi

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Slamming the Shiv Sena for its controversial "Mumbai for Marathis" slogan, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said such a "pernicious" thesis has to be rejected and the city belongs to all of India.

"We reject the thesis of Shiv Sena. Mumbai belongs to all of India and all Indians are free to live and work in Mumbai," Chidambaram told reporters.

"As a matter of policy, we reject the theses of the Shiv Sena and the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena). These are pernicious theses and they have to be rejected," he said.

The home minister said that the Maharashtra government was "competent" to handle the situation in Mumbai after the Shiv Sena on Sunday objected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) view that the city is for all Indians.

"If the government of Maharashtra seeks our advice, we will advise them. But I am sure they are competent to manage the situation," Chidambaram said.

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