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CHENNAI: A war of words broke out between former chief of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit K Annamalai and functionaries of Sena UBT and MNS over his remarks that Mumbai is an international city and does not belong to Maharashtra alone. Annamalai made the comment while campaigning for BMC polls in Mumbai last week. At a joint rally of Sena UBT and MNS in Mumbai on Monday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray mocked Annamalai, calling him “rasmalai” and invoked the slogan “hatao lungi, bajao pungi”, a phrase derogatorily used to target south Indians in Mumbai. Annamalai hit back: “Some wrote that they would cut my legs if I visit Mumbai. I will come. Try cutting my legs.” He added his remarks were misrepresented. “If I say Kamaraj is one of India’s greatest politicians, does that mean he is no longer Tamil? If I say Mumbai is a world-class city, does that mean Maharashtrians didn’t build it,” he asked.
