This Article is From Aug 02, 2013

After sexist tweets on Shobhaa De, Nitesh Rane targets Gujaratis

After sexist tweets on Shobhaa De, Nitesh Rane targets Gujaratis

File photo: Nitesh Rane

Mumbai: He shocked Mumbai with a personal attack on writer Shobhaa De. Now Nitesh Rane, a Congressman and the younger son of state minister Narayan Rane, has again stirred up trouble with a tweet mocking people from Gujarat.

The Maharashtra Legislative Council has asked the state government to punish Nitesh Rane for this tweet on Wednesday - "Veg skies, Veg hospitals, Veg housing societies.soon Veg Mumbai! Either Gujjus go back to Gujarat or they turn Mumbai into Gujarat...Red alert."

He was apparently referring to housing societies with mostly Gujarati speaking residents who favored only vegetarian tenants. Since the tweet, Mr Rane's Twitter page has been deluged with angry posts from Gujarati people.

Gujaratis comprise around 18 per cent of Mumbai's over 1.2 crore population.

"The statement is derogatory towards Narendra Modi and Gujarati-speaking people," complained Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar in the state legislative council. "It will create religious and social conflict in the city." The upper house chairman has asked the government to look into it.

Mr Rane later tried to clarify the tweet but came off sounding even more prejudiced. "They live and earn their livelihood in this city, but praise Modi and Gujarat's development model. Such people should leave Mumbai and move to Gujarat."

The 31-year-old seems to be taking the fast-track, but controversial route to limelight.

Earlier, he defended his sexist and threatening remarks against Shobhaa De, who rattled politicians in Maharashtra with a satirical tweet wondering about statehood for Mumbai after the creation of Telangana.

Mr Rane tweeted in response, "Rather than twitter, Shoba De shud say the same thing on the streets of Mumbai openly after which she won't be left with any 'shoba' forever."

"Shobhaa De should be made to just shut up," he told NDTV, convinced that he "did the right thing."  He vowed, "If she continues, so will the personal attack."
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