Cong refuses to back Nirupam

After the heated exchange between Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray over whether north Indians are capable of bringing Mumbai to a halt, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan got into damage control mode and said that no one will be allowed to hold the city to ransom.

After the heated exchange between Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam and Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray over whether north Indians are capable of bringing Mumbai to a halt, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan got into damage control mode and said that no one will be allowed to hold the city to ransom.

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Chavan, who was in the state’s winter capital on Monday, dismissed Nirupam’s claim and said: “We will not let anyone to shut Mumbai down,” Chavan said. "Mumbai's normal life must always be allowed to function smoothly. We shall all continue to work together for the city’s development.”

The Congress distanced itself from the issue saying Nirupam's statement was his “personal view”. “The Congress has nothing to do with it. The party has never taken such a stand. I do not have all the information about what he [Nirupam] said. I will have to check in what context he said this,” Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Anant Gadgil said.

(With agency inputs)