Raj buries feud,hails Bachchan as India8217;s brand ambassador

MNS president Raj Thackeray and actor Amitabh Bachchan shared dais on Monday.

Burying their acrimonious past,Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS president Raj Thackeray and actor Amitabh Bachchan shared dais on Monday at a function to mark the seventh anniversary of Maharashtra Navnirman Chitrapat Sena MNCS,the MNSs wing that works for the welfare of cine artistes.

Letting bygones be bygones,Thackeray not only declared Bachchan as an ambassador of India but also generously praised him for his command of Hindi language. He was speaking at the function held at Shanmukhananda Hall,where the actor had been invited as the chief guest.

Relations between the MNS chief and the Bollywood icon have been tense for the past five years ever since Thackeray had criticised the actor for agreeing to become brand ambassador of states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The MNS had also stepped up its attack on Bachchans after the actors wife Jaya Bachchan said at a public function that being from Uttar Pradesh,she would prefer to speak in Hindi instead of Marathi. Jayas remarks had come at a time when MNSs anti-migrants campaign was at its peak.

Sounding a conciliatory note,Thackeray said,What happened at that time was not a problem at a personal level. He is Indias brand ambassador,and not of any state. The love that is bestowed on him by a man from Allahabad is the same kind of adulation a man from Maharashtra feels for him.

The entire country loves icons like Bachchan and Lata Mangeshkar. They are Gods gift to us. They should,however,not involve themselves in such things regionalism. For such small things,we are there, Thackeray said,adding he was happy and thankful that the actor had decided to grace the function.

He came for the programme. I am thankful to him. Whatever happened in the past has been immersed in the Ganga. Incidentally,Ganga is in Uttar Pradesh,but we love the river as well, the MNS chief said.

Bachchan,in his eight-minute speech,lauded the party for launching an insurance scheme for the benefit of cine workers.

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He said he would be readily making himself available for the partys future programmes which would benefit artistes in the film industry. Bachchan also ensured he spoke a few lines in Marathi.

mumbai.newslineexpressindia.com