Image Courtesy:bolnews.com
Karachi bakery and sweets have everything to do with Hyderabad, Telangana, and nothing to do with Karachi, Pakistan. However goons from right-wing outfits do not have a sense of geography or history, nor do they appear to have any inclination to process a simple internet search to find facts. Instead they have whatsapp university forwards, a few supporters and a loud voice which they hope their political masters can hear over the din of their rants.
One such man, one Nitin Nandgaokar who claims to be a Shiv Sena leader threatened a sweet shop owner to cover the ‘Karachi’ in the shop’s name, was snubbed a day later by Sena leader Sanjay Raut who said the goon’s act was “not our official stand”. Nandgaokar had threatened the shop owner forcing him to cover/ change the name saying, “you have to do it, we’re giving you time. Change ‘Karachi’ to something in Marathi,” and he made sure he was recorded on video too. A typical strategy of goons who hope for political patronage after such videos go viral on social media and are noticed by political leaders. The sweet shop owner in Mumbai’s Bandra West did end up covering its name on the signboard with a newspaper.
https://twitter.com/Ashish_Said_So/status/1330051506968678402
News used to hide the fact #Karachibakery pic.twitter.com/6WZTIjSBcU
— Ashish (@Ashish_Said_So) November 21, 2020
Khanchand Ramnani, the founder of Karachi Bakery, who moved to Hyderabad (now Telangana) after Partition, would never have imagined the name of his shop, famous for delicious cookies, will cause so much heartburn to right wing goons. The goons have attacked Karachi Bakery in various parts of India, at different times, demanding the name be removed or changed to something ‘Indian’. Karachi was a part of undivided India when, in 1953 Ramnani opened the first outlet of the bakery in Hyderabad. The place went on to earn iconic fame with its top of the line cookies laden with fruits and nuts. Now packets are sold across the world for those craving nostalgia. The only thing connecting it to Pakistan is the fact that the founder was born there, like many others who went on to find their high ranks and fame in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party’s current patriarch, and co-founder, Lal Krishna Advani, who was the Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was born in Karachi on November 8, 1927.
However the goons do not care when they vandalise the franchise whenever they want. It is yet to be seen if Shiv Sena ‘punishes’ its member who decided to threaten the shop owner, after its Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut, clarified that the demand for changing the shop’s name is not the party’s official stance. Raut stated: “Karachi bakery and karachi sweets have been in Mumbai since the last 60 years. 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.”
https://twitter.com/rautsanjay61/status/1329388470855352322
Karachi bakery and karachi sweets have been in mumbai since last 60 years. 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 shivsena’s official stance.
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) November 19, 2020
While Shiv Sena seems embarrassed of its goon, the former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP thought it was the best time to claim that “one day Karachi will be a part of India” or what the Bharatiya Janata Party calls ‘Akhand Bharat’. Fadnavis gave this statement when he was asked about the Mumbai incident.
https://twitter.com/vinaytiwari9697/status/1330055348800065543
#महाराष्ट्र के पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री और बीजेपी के बड़े नेता #देवेंद्र फडणवीस ने #शिवसेना और मनसे द्वारा #कराची शब्द को लेकर उठाये गए विवाद पर कहा ‘हम #अखंड भारत मे भरोसा करते है और एक दिन #कराची भी #भारत का भाग होगा@Dev_Fadnavis @ShivSena @mnsadhikrut #Karachibakery pic.twitter.com/pI3vndXoQA
— Vinay Tiwari (@vinaytiwari9697) November 21, 2020
A Karachi Bakery outlet was attacked last year in Bengaluru, Karnataka over the name ‘Karachi’ , as was its small outlet in Delhi. This was soon after the Pulwama terror attack when 40 CRPF jawans were killed. Eventually, nine men were arrested for threatening the outlet’s staff, the Deccan Herald had reported. This time too, while no news of arrests have come in social media has had the best reactions to this controversy.
https://twitter.com/Sydusm/status/1329441968930377728
The Bombay Biryani in Karachi is safe while Karachi Bakery in Bombay is under threat.
Shabaash!
— Syed Usman सैय्यद उस्मान (@Sydusm) November 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/DrRupani/status/1329700063598178304
Oh my god!
Karachi sweets or Karachi bakery in Hyderabad are connected with Hindu Sindhis nit with Pakistan.
We who relocated from Sindh, just find it easy to locate where can we find Sindhi sweets!— Dr Narain Rupani (@DrRupani) November 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/inquestioner/status/1326855395650928645
Anything from Karachi Bakery tastes delicious to us. ‘Cos.. anti-national? pic.twitter.com/sni11VxRRb
— Sasidharan Pazhoor (@inquestioner) November 12, 2020
Some leading lights of the RW even gave Karachi Bakery more business by ordering more cookies online.
https://twitter.com/TajinderBagga/status/1329376671766515712
Ordered some @KarachiBakery Biscuits for @OfficeofUT on Amzaon with the request “Please Break the Biscuits,Not Shops” pic.twitter.com/P60TsuA98v
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) November 19, 2020
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