NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP PC Mohan on Friday took a ‘Rajmalai’ dig at Raj Thackeray as the party dominated the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic elections in Maharashtra.PC Mohan, Lok Sabha MP from Bangalore Central, shared photos of ‘Rasmalai’ (Indian sweet dish) on X and wrote, “Ordered some Rasmalai. #BMCResults.”The tweet was a direct reference to Raj Thakeray, who started a war of words with BJP MP K Annamalai early last week.
While campaigning in Mumbai for the BMC elections, Annamalai had said the city does not belong to Maharashtra alone as it is an international city. The comments sparked a heated exchange in a joint Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS rally in Mumbai. MNS chief Raj Thackeray took a dig at Annamalai, mocking him as ‘Rasmalai’ and questioning his authority to comment on Mumbai. He also raised the slogan “Hatao Lungi, Bajao Pungi”, a phrase that has long been used derogatory against South Indians in the city.Annamalai reacted defiantly and said some had threatened to cut his legs if he visited Mumbai. “I will come to Mumbai. Try to cut my legs,” he said, stressing that his comments had been misrepresented.Clarifying his position, Annamalai said that praising leaders like K Kamaraj does not diminish their Tamil identity, just as calling Mumbai a world-class city does not erase the role of Maharashtrians in building this city. He stressed that Mumbai’s growth is inextricably linked to the contributions of the Marathi people.Annamalai also accused Shiv Sena leaders of insulting Tamils by mocking their traditional attire like lungis and veshtis and said it was surprising that the DMK had decided to share political space with parties that resorted to such remarks.Interestingly, before ‘Rasmalai’, it was ‘Jalebi’ that was served by the BJP as sweet revenge. In 2024, when the BJP won the Haryana assembly elections, its Haryana unit celebrated its dramatic comeback and historic third consecutive parliamentary victory with a significant gesture: sending a kilogram of jalebis to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s office in Delhi.
