Aaditya speaks to Nawazuddin, says Sena does not endorse act

After facing much flak, the Shiv Sena on Monday distanced itself from the controversy created by a few Sena leaders in Uttar Pradesh by forcing Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui out of a Ramleela programme in his village, Budhana.

After facing much flak, the Shiv Sena on Monday distanced itself from the controversy created by a few Sena leaders in Uttar Pradesh by forcing Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui out of a Ramleela programme in his village, Budhana.

Three days after the incident, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, “I spoke to Nawazuddinji to convey that the party does not endorse the reason why he was prevented from acting in Ramleela in Uttar Pradesh.” (HT file photo)

Three days after the incident, Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, “I spoke to Nawazuddinji to convey that the party does not endorse the reason why he was prevented from acting in Ramleela in Uttar Pradesh.”

Clearly distancing the party from the incident, in a second tweet Thackeray added, “The said person, be he an office bearer or not, hasn’t voiced the party’s policy and the part will not support such uncalled for actions.”

Aaditya, son of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray heads party’s youth wing, Yuva Sena, and is seen as the one responsible for the party taking youth-friendly actions such as stopping its violent protests against celebrating Valentine’s Day.

In the incident, local Sena district head Mukesh Sharma had claimed that he had approached the police and asked the committee in-charge to drop Nawazuddin from the show by claiming that for over 50 years no Muslim had been a part of the production.