Although he has refused to speak to the media on record since his return to Mumbai, in an informal chat with a private television channel, Raj reiterated his criticism of Amitabh Bachchan for favouring his home state of Uttar Pradesh over Maharashtra.

“Why did Amitabh Bachchan choose to contest elections from Uttar Pradesh and do all his social work there? What has Amitabh Bachchan done for Maharashtra? If I say he is more loyal to Uttar Pradesh, what wrong did I say?” Raj was quoted as saying.

Last week, Raj took exception to Amitabh opening a school for girls in UP named after his daughter-in-law and actress Aishwarya Rai. Samajwadi Party (SP) MP and Amitabh’s actress-wife Jaya Bachchan had hit out at Raj for targeting her husband, and said if Raj donates his land in Maharashtra to the Bachchans, then they would start a school for girls here also.

In the process, Jaya had said she knew only Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and his son Uddhav and did not know who Raj is. To this, Raj had retorted from Pune that “while she (Jaya) does not know me, she seems to be well aware about my properties”.

On Tuesday, in the informal chat, Raj justified his attacks on North Indians by stating that Maharashtrians cannot remain silent spectators while Mumbai is flooded with “unwanted migrants”.

He drew analogy with children from a neighbouring society spoiling your housing society and creating noise and then asked whether you will allow it. “What is wrong if we do the same in this city?” he asked.

When he was told that Mumbai is the country's financial capital, Raj declared that “Mumbai cannot take migrants anymore, the infrastructure will just collapse one day”.

He also blasted Railway Minister Lalu Prasad for using the railways for recruiting Biharis and alleged that even when railway recruitment happens in Maharashtra, the migrants from the North India get jobs.

Raj censured
Jaipur, DHNS: Reacting on the recent violence in Mumbai over Raj Thackeray’s remarks targeting north Indians, Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader was trying to earn cheap popularity. He said don’t kill the spirit of Mumbai.

Speaking to media at here on Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party leader said Maharashtrians were welcome in Uttar Pradesh.

In a rejoinder to Thackeray’s remarks, he said when Sachin Tenulkar plays cricket, he’s recognized as an Indian not as a Maharashtrian. India is known for unity in diversity.