Sanjay Nirupam's pro-migrant stand has no takers

MUMBAI: Pro-migrant comments by Congress's north Mumbai MP Sanjay Nirupam on Monday drew strong reactions from Opposition Shiv Sena and forced chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to clarify the party's position on the issuee.

Speaking at a function in Nagpur, Nirupam had alleged that some political parties were instigating an anti-migrant opinion among the locals. "If the migrants from north India decide to stop work for a day, Mumbai will come to a grinding halt, it is only because of the migrant workers that this city functions normally," he said.

These comments were aired on news channels and sparked an angry reaction from Shiv Sena executive president Uddav Thackeray. "If a congressman like Nirupam thinks the locals have no contribution to Mumbai we will take up this issue and we know how to teach him a lesson," he said.

The Nationalist Congress Party too held a press conference in Mumbai in the afternoon to distance itself from coalition partner Congress's comments.

By evening the war of words reached such a level that chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was in Nagpur to attend some official business, had to intervene and say that MP Sanjay Nirupam's comments were his personal and the party has nothing to do with it. The CM also said that the party leaders should refrain from making such comments.