Bandra’s famous Karachi Bakery, beleaguered recently by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for its purportedly “Pakistani” name, has shut shop.
The bakery was part of a Hyderabad-based chain run by Sindhi migrants who had originally hailed from Karachi, Pakistan.
Meanwhile, MNS Vice-President Haji Saif Shaikh, who is believed to have led the furore against the shop, took to Twitter to share that the shop has been shuttered down, and claim:
“After massive protest on Karachi Bakery for its name Karachi led by Vice President of MNS - Haji Saif Shaikh, Karachi Bakery finally closes its only shop in Mumbai.”
The manager of Karachi Bakery, however, has cited a different reason for shutting shop for now.
THE FURORE OVER A NAME
As per media reports, in November 2020, Haji Saif Shaikh had created a stir outside the premises of the Sindhi shop, demanding from the owner to change the name of the shop, claiming that it was “anti-national” and “unpatriotic.”
Shaikh’s lawyer, too, had, in November, served a legal notice to Karachi Bakery, in order to get the latter to desist from using the name “Karachi”. The legal notice claimed:
“It is a matter of public record that there are tensions between India and Pakistan because of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of land in Kashmir known as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK)”.
WHAT THE BAKERY MANAGER SAYS
The Manager of the Karachi Bakery outlet, Rameshwar Waghmare, however, has cited a reason different from what the MNS VP has claimed for the closure of shop.
Waghmare clarified that they shut because their old lease agreement had lapsed and their landlord was asking for a greater sum this time.
“(Rent) Agreement was over. Hence, they have vacated the place”.Rameshar Waghmare, Store Manager
Waghmare has also stated that they will take a call on whether to rent a new place and where to do so.
MNS DISTANCES ITSELF
Meanwhile, even as MNS vice president credited the news of the bakery pulling down their shutters to a ‘massive protest’ led by him, the party has made an attempt to distance itself from the incident.
Earlier on Wednesday, the official Twitter handle of MNS responded to their vice president’s tweet, stating that what he is saying is not the party’s official stand.
“This is not at all an official stand of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. So all the Twitterati kindly take a note of this.”MNS
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