A Shiv Sena worker has asked the owner of a 'Karachi Sweets' shop in suburban Bandra to change his outlet's name to something else.
In a video clip shared on his Facebook page, Sena worker Nitin Nandgaonkar is seen asking the owner to rename the shop after his father or grandfather, contending that Karachi is in Pakistan, which is a "country of terrorists".
"Don't use the name Karachi in Mumbai...humein Karachi naam se takleef hai (we have objection to the name Karachi). Our jawan (died) on Bhai Dooj. Pakistan is a country of terrorists," he said.
Nandgaonkar said he "will give the owner time to rename the shop", and in a post along with the video added that boards bearing the text 'Karachi' be changed within 15 days.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a statement hit out at the Shiv Sena over its worker "threatening" the shop owner, and asked Mumbai police to take cognisance, saying this the last thing the city needs during a pandemic.
Facebook he added that the word Karachi should be dropped from all signboards in 15 days.
But Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut later tweeted that Karachi Bakeries and Karachi Sweet Shops are operating in Mumbai for the last 60 years, and "they have nothing to do with Pakistan".
"It makes no sense to ask for changing their names now. Demand for changing their name is not Shiv Sena's official stance," the Rajya Sabha member said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a statement hit out at the Shiv Sena over its worker "threatening" a shop owner, and asked the police to take notice of the incident, saying it was the last thing the city needs during a pandemic.