NEW DELHI - Reacting to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s criticism of Sachin Tendulkar, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Nov 16 said “with Maharashtra for Maharashtrians and Kashmir for Kashmiris, where is India for Indians?”

Tharoor’s posting on social networking site ‘twitter.com’ read: “on Sachin & Sena, my late dad Chandran Tharoor said in 66 — with Maharashtra 4(for) Maharashtrians & Kashmir 4(for) Kashmiris, where is India for Indians?”.

Thackeray had accused Tendulkar of hurting Marathi sentiments with his “Mumbai for all” remarks.

In an interaction with the media on completing 20 years in international cricket, 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.”

Thackeray, in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, said that Tendulkar, through his remark, had “left the crease and moved to the pitch of politics and this had hurt the Marathi psyche”.    (PTI)