In a strong pitch to ‘Akhand Bharat’, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has said that Pakistan’s Karachi will be a part of India one day. His remark came while he was commenting on a controversy that erupted after a Shiv Sena leader asked a “Karachi Sweets” shop owner in Mumbai to omit the word “Karachi” from the name.
We believe in ‘Akhand Bharat’ (undivided India) and we believe that one day Karachi will be part of India, Fadnavis told reporters.
It all started when Shiv Sena leader Nitin Nandgaonkar asked the owner of the 60-year-old sweets shop in Bandra to change the name of his shop to ‘something Marathi’.
In a video that had gone viral, he was seen telling the owner that he hates Pakistan and would not accept anything related to the neighbouring country be a part of Mumbai.
Not our official stance, says Sanjay Raut
Later, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the demand for changing names of Karachi bakery and Karachi sweets is not his party’s “official stance.”
“Karachi bakery and Karachi sweets have been in Mumbai since last 60 years. They have nothing to do with Pakistan. It makes no sense to ask for changing their names now. Demand for changing their name is not Shiv Sena’s official stance,” Raut said.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh should be merged: NCP
Earlier, Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik said that his party – the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – will welcome the BJP’s move “if it creates one country by merging India, Pakistan and Bangladesh”.
“The way Devendra ji has said that time will come Karachi will be the part of India. We have been saying that India, Pakistan and Bangladesh should be merged. If the Berlin wall can be demolished then why not India, Pakistan and Bangladesh can come together? If BJP wishes to merge these three countries and make a single country, we will welcome it definitely,” Malik was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, when asked comment on the former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis’s remark on Karachi.