Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday remained unfazed over the reported threat by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to disallow Bihar divas celebrations in Mumbai, saying no one can stop him from attending the event and he did not require a "visa" to travel there.
"There is no hurdle for me to go there. Can go to any part of the country, don't need any type of visa for that. I am going," Kumar said when asked for his comments on the threat by the Raj Thackeray-headed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to block the celebrations.
He said he would give his message to people from Bihar living in Mumbai on April 15 during his scheduled visit to attend a social and cultural programme organised by migrant labour from the state to celebrate the centenary of the creation of the state.
"I will give my message there," he said.
The MNS did not appear to take kindly to Kumar's assertion. "Raj saheb will make the party's stance on the issue clear at a public meeting at Malegaon on April 12," a senior MNS leader said, adding that Kumar's statement had not gone down well with the party.
"Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra. If anybody tries to show Maharashtra's culture and Marathi language in a bad light, it will not be tolerated," he said.
Though no one from MNS has formally announced that the celebrations will not be allowed, media reports spoke of a move by the party in this regard.