Shiv Sena takes on SRK for IPL remarks

Mumbai:

Workers of the Shiv Sena have torn posters of Shah Rukh Khan's new film, My Name is Khan, at a theatre in Thane in Mumbai.

They say this is just one form of protesting against the actor for his remarks on the Indian Premier League (IPL). Shah Rukh had expressed his frustaration over not a single Pakistani player being bought at the auction for IPL 3. A total of 11 Pakistanis, including the likes of Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Sohail Tanvir, were up for grabs.

Speaking to NDTV's Prannoy Roy, Shah Rukh had said, "I think its actually humiliating to me as a KKR owner that this has happened. We are known to be good, we are known to invite everyone, and we should have. And if there were any issues, they should have been put out earlier so that everything could happen respectfully."

He also spoke in praise of the Pakistani players and said, "I am not giving an excuse and I truly believe Pakistani players are the best T20 players in the world. They are the champions. They are wonderful. But somewhere down the line there is an issue and we cannot deny it. There is an issue, we cannot keep saying 'Oh this was wrong'. Yes maybe the way it was done was wrong, the way it is being carried out may be wrong. But you can't keep on saying 'Koi issue nahi hai yaar, woh aa jate' (There isn't any issue, they could have come). There is an issue lets not deny it. Every day we blame Pakistan, everyday they blame us, it is an issue."

Responding to Shahrukh's comments, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said: I challenge them to recruit players from Pakistan. No players should be taken from Pakistan or Australia. If the Khan inside Shahrukh is coming to life, then he should go Lahore or Karachi.

The Shiv Sena has publicly warned that it will not allow Pakistani or Australian players to play in Mumbai.

On the other hand, Australian pacer Brett Lee remained unfazed by the threats and said he would play in the Indian Premier League starting March 12.

"I obviously feel very proud coming to India. I have been here a lot of times and I love coming here. I have said it time and again that India is like a second home to me. I feel very comfortable with the way I am treated here. It's humbling," Lee said on being asked whether Sena's threat to stop Aussies from playing in IPL would prevent him from participating in the Twenty20 event.