Mumbai identity row: Annamalai throws open challenge to Thackerays

Amid a raging row over his remark in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai on Monday (January 12) issued an ‘open challenge’ to the Thackeray family.

The issue has flared up amid the final stretch of campaigning for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections slated for January 15.

What Annamalai said

It stems from Annamalai's January 9 statement during a campaign in Mumbai's western suburbs, where he said: "(Narendra) Modi ji at the Centre, Devendra (Fadnavis) ji at the state and a BJP mayor in the BMC... because Bombay is not a Maharashtra city. It is an international city."

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He emphasised the need for strong governance given Mumbai's massive budget (Rs 40,000-Rs 75,000 crore, far exceeding other metros like Bengaluru or Chennai). The comment, using the pre-1995 name "Bombay" and phrasing that appeared to delink the city from Maharashtra, ignited fury among opposition leaders championing Marathi manoos pride.

Raj calls Annamalai 'rasmalai'

At a joint rally of Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS on January 11 at Shivaji Park/Dadar, the first such reunion of cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray in over two decades, Raj directly targeted Annamalai.

"One ‘rasmalai’ came from Tamil Nadu, he said what's the connection between Mumbai and Maharashtra. What's your connection here? That's why Balasaheb said ‘hatao lungi bajao pungi’," he said, invoking the Shiv Sena slogan from the 1960s perceived as anti-South Indian (particularly targeting Tamilians and migrants).

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The rally framed the BMC polls as a "last stand" against alleged BJP conspiracies to sideline Marathi people, shift projects to Gujarat, and undermine Mumbai's Maharashtra identity.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, "I am shocked that Annamalai came from Tamil Nadu to Mumbai and claimed that Mumbai does not belong to Maharashtra. Even after such a statement, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde have remained silent. If Shiv Sena were truly standing for Maharashtra, this insult would not have been tolerated. Such remarks insult the people of Maharashtra and Marathi pride. An FIR should be filed against Annamalai for this."

Defiant Annamalai hits back

He accused the BJP of a long-standing design to detach Mumbai from the state, insulting the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement.

A defiant and unapologetic, Annamalai hit back strongly, "Who are Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray to threaten me? I am proud to be a farmer’s son. They have organised meetings just to abuse me. Some have written that they will cut off my legs if I come to Mumbai. I will come to Mumbai, try cutting my legs. If I were afraid of such threats, I would have stayed in my village... If I say Kamaraj is one of India’s greatest leaders, does it mean he is no longer a Tamil? If I say Mumbai is a world-class city, does it mean Maharashtrians didn’t build it? These people are just ignorant."

His challenge echoes earlier reports of inflammatory language in Shiv Sena (UBT)'s mouthpiece Saamana, which allegedly suggested cutting off his leg for the remark.

In defence of Annamalai

TN BJP leader R Tamil Selvan defended Annamalai, attributing any mispronunciation of "Bombay" (instead of "Mumbai") to his evolving Hindi skills: "Annamalai ji has started speaking Hindi after a long time...and that is where the mistakes happen... The meaning of what he said was that Mumbai is globally famous."

Rooted in the 1960 Samyukta Maharashtra agitation that secured Mumbai as the state capital after over 100 lives lost, the issue has resurfaced post the BJP-led Mahayuti's 2024 assembly landslide (235 seats). The Thackerays' alliance positions the BMC polls (227 wards, India's richest civic body) as existential for Marathi identity against perceived "outsider" dominance.

Senior journalist S Dayalan remarked that those who fiercely protect Mumbai would never relinquish it. He questioned whether Annamalai would ever give up Coimbatore, the constituency he contested in. Dayalan pointed out that Annamalai, who describes Coimbatore as belonging to the Kongu people, has even spoken about the need for a separate Kongu nation. "In that case, would he surrender Coimbatore? If Coimbatore is a matter of pride for you, shouldn't Mumbai be a matter of pride for them as well?" he remarked.

Commenting on the ongoing controversy, senior journalist MC Rajan observed that Mumbai is feared to be gradually drifting away from Marathi people. Anti-Hindi slogans are once again gaining momentum there. The Thackerays are fanning and amplifying these sentiments, he said. They are politically exploiting the fear among Marathi people in Mumbai that there might be no place left for them, he added.

Meanwhile, Annamalai, who is losing his foothold in Tamil Nadu, is using this issue to his advantage. The Thackeray family is also trying to capitalise on it. Rajan added that Annamalai's statement is not a valid argument and is of the kind that provokes language conflicts. Can one say the same about Chennai or Bengaluru, he wondered.