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Journalism of Courage
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.
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.
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
