New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's remarks that India's cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar should "keep off the political pitch" has evoked strong reactions with virtually all political parties and sportsmen condemning Thackeray strongly.
Thackeray was reacting to the cricket legend's statement last week that "he was an Indian first and Marathi too, but Mumbai belongs to all". Here are the reactions to what the Shiv Sena supremo wrote Monday in party mouthpiece Saamna:
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi: "He (Thackeray) should be the last person to preach to a gentleman cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar."
Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's Tweet: "On Sachin and Sena, my late dad Chandran Tharoor said in '66: 'with Maharashtra for Maharashtrians and Kashmir for Kashmiris, where is India for Indians'?"
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar: "Shiv Sena is on the wrong foot in criticising Sachin Tendulkar." (Nitish Kumar is from Janata Dal-Secular, part of the National Democratic Alliance of which the Shiv Sena is also a constituent.)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley: "If any Maharashtrian says he is proud of being a Maharashtrian as well as an Indian, then I find this statement absolutely correct." (BJP leads the National Democratic Alliance.)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut: "Bal Thackeray has not said anything wrong. We also believe that the nation comes first. That is why we say 'Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra'."
Former Test cricketer Ajit Wadekar: "Sachin plays for india and that motivates him."
Olympian Milkha Singh: "Whatever Sachin has said is completely right. India comes first and state comes later. Sport and politics should not be mixed."
Sachin's statement will unite India: Chavan
Mumbai, Nov 16 (PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Monday came out in strong defence of Sachin Tendulkar, whose 'Mumbai for all' remark drew criticism from Shiv Sena, saying the master blaster had spoken from the bottom of his heart and that his statement will unite the country.
Taking exception to the article by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in his party mouthpiece 'Samana' criticising Tendulkar, the Chief Minister said "the master blaster has spoken from the bottom of his heart."
"Sachin's statement has been made in true sportsman spirit. Though he is a Maharashtrian, he plays for the country. This (Tendulkar's remark) will unite the entire country," Chavan said.
"I fully agree with him (Sachin). People will not support Shiv Sena's political game," he said.
Chavan said the entire country was proud of Tendulkar's achievement of completing 20 years in international cricket. "Sachin has done India proud," he said.
"I do not attach any importance to what some people have said about Tendulkar," the chief minister said without naming the Shiv Sena chief.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut today said that party Chief had not criticised Tendulkar for the latter's "Mumbai for all Indians" comment.
"The remark made in today's issue of Saamana is not criticism of Sachin. Balasaheb commented in his capacity as an elder...it was an elderly advice to Sachin," Raut told reporters here.
"There was no need for you to take a cheeky single by making these remarks. By doing so, you have got a run-out from the 'pitch' of Marathi pschye," the mouthpiece quoted the Shiv Sena chief as saying.
Thackeray also expressed displeasure that Sachin had "left the crease" and moved to the pitch of politics by making these remarks which had hurt the Marathi mind.
"Though being from Maharashtra, he (Sachin) plays for the country -- that's important. We are first Indians and then anything else," Chief Minister Ashok Chavan told NDTV.
"I congratulate Sachin for this wonderful statement. This will unite the entire country and definitely send a good message across," he said.
Tendulkar felicitated by Modi for 20 years in international cricket
Ahmedabad, Nov 16, (PTI): Sachin Tendulkar was on Monday felicitated for completing 20 years in international cricket by Gujarat Chief Minister and state Cricket Association President Narendra Modi before the start of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka here.
The master batsman, who started his international career 1989, was presented with a gold-plated memento of Somnath temple on behalf of the state government, a silver plate on behalf of the Gujarat Cricket Association and a shawl. The 36-year-old Tendulkar had also celebrated the occasion by having a dinner with his teammates at the team hotel last night.
A cake was also cut on the occasion and a special invitee to the function was the visiting Sri Lankan team's ace spinner and longest-serving member Muthiah Muralitharan, according to informed sources. Tendulkar has scored 12,773 runs in 159 Tests and 17,178 runs in 436 ODIs, the highest by any cricketer in the world. He has also notched up a world record 42 hundreds in Tests and 45 in ODIs.