In the party's mouthpiece "Saamna" Sena MP Sanjay Raut writes, Sachin has not helped any Marathi cricketers... not even Vinod Kambli
Shiv Sena on Sunday unleashed another attack on Sachin Tendulkar and compared him with Sunil Gavaskar who it hailed as a “true Maharashtrian“.
The attack came in an article in party mouthpiece ’Saamna’ by Sena MP Sanjay Raut days after party supremo Bal Thackeray accused the 36-year-old cricket icon of hurting Marathi sentiments with his “Mumbai for all” remark.
Comparing Tendulkar to Gavaskar (60), Mr. Raut alleged, “There has been no instance of Sachin extending a helping hand to other Marathi cricketers. Forget others, he did not even support Vinod Kambli.”
“In contrast, Gavaskar when he captained India, had half the team drawn from Mumbai and Maharashtra. He gave Test caps to many Marathi players including Suru Naik and Zulphikar Parkar at least for one match,” he said, while also acknowledging Tendulkar’s greatness as a cricketer.
“In this context, Gavaskar is a genuine ‘Maharashtrian’ and the whole country loves him even now in the same way,” the article claimed.
“Players like Sachin have become rich because of game of cricket. Sachin’s wealth has crossed Rs 200-crore mark. We expect Sachin to be as ‘proud’ of Maharashtra as Saurav Ganguly is of Bengal,” it said. “Rahul Dravid too is a Marathi player but he is loyal to Karnataka,” Mr. Raut said.
Mr. Thackeray’s remarks on November 16 had evoked angry reactions from a host of political leaders as also the BCCI, who came down heavily on the Shiv Sena chief for criticising Tendulkar, saying his statement was just right and nobody could take objection to it.
Mr. Thackeray had said that Tendulkar had, through his remark, “left the crease and moved to the pitch of politics” and this had hurt the Marathi psyche.
Earlier, Tendulkar had said, “I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians.”
Keywords: Shiv Sena, Sachin Tendulkar, Bal Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, Saamna, Marathi pride
Comments:
India is not Maharashtra but Maharashtra is part of India.
What Sachin has said cannot be faulted.If every state resorts to the way of Sena, then India will not remain united. Instead it will get devided into 25-30 pieces.I think Sena wants to see this happen.
The Shiv Sena having been clearly caught red-handed and exposed in their recent tactics to upstage their rival outfit, the MNS, is trying to isolate Sachin Tendulkar for his nationalistic views expressed openly and fearlessly, when it talks about 'genuineness' of Gavaskar. No doubt, this is going to be another fiasco for the parochial party as it is trying to drive a wedge between two cricketing greats. Sunil Gavaskar, no doubt, another great Indian who is hailed by every one of us, should rise to the occasion and express solidarity with Tendulkar, condemn the veiws of the Sena and uphold the pan-Indian values. His silence at this hour is likely to be misused by the divisive elements as an endorsement of their despicable attempts.
Why not Sena come above regionalism?
At least Sachin represents the country and brings cheers to million of faces. What has Sanjay Raut done for people of Maharashtra?
Very depressing.
Gavaskar is true Marathi as he had drawn half his team from Maharasthra! It'd have sounded funny had it come from a kid. And this article comes on the heels of heavy criticism Bal Thackeray had drawn for badmouthing the international legend. These recent developments are amusing, and disgustingly so.
Balsaheb claims that Sachin never helped Marathi players.Even if Sachin has erred,he has made all Indians proud and happy.
It just seems unfortunate that people (all so-called Shiv Sainiks!) of such a narrow mindset get so much attention. I recognize political complexities but still wonder why, after so much of their disgusting acts, they are not where they should be--behind the bars.
Is Sachin any less of a Maharashtrian because he sees himself as an Indian first? Certainly not. But, he would definitely be less of an Indian if he was out there promoting the causes of Maharashtrian cricketers! The Shiv Sena and its comments fly against all logic, and is going to make them appear even more anti-national! This is a serious case of lacking intelligence - you do not attack national icons on any pretext, certainly not someone of Sachin Tendulkar's uncontroversial, towering and unquestionably significant stature.
Sachin is one of the most respected sports persons in the whole world. He has shown perfect balance of mind in the fields in-spite of other cricketers' showing disrespect towards him. He knows how to behave and most importantly how to use his tongue.
It is a pity that this is getting politicalised. Cheap potical stunts. I don't understand this at all.
So from SS point of view, it doesnt matter if the Indian team performs well or not, so long as there are a lot of Maharashtrians playing on it.
This is so parochial about Sena having such a mindset. I wish these politicians were half as dedicated to what they do as Sachin is to what he does. That would have made a lot of difference.
This kind of immature thinking was the main cause of separation of India & Pakistan. Sachin is not an ordinary person simply admired by the whole world. At least try to understand the message he has given in his speech.