Shiv Sena breathes fire at Manoj Tiwari for ‘street-level’ performance in Varanasi

Mumbai, Aug 5 (IANS) The Shiv Sena on Saturday trained its guns on ally BJP's New Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari for his recent 'street-level' performance in Varanasi and gyrating to "an awful Bhojpuri number".

"It was shocking to see Tiwari voluntarily getting down on his knees, singing and gyrating to the crude song 'Kamariya Kare Lapalap, Lollilop Laagelu', in full public view before some heroine," the Sena said in a sharp edit in the party mouthpieces 'Saamana' and 'Dopahar Ka Saamana'.

The Bhojpuri song was sung by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, getting down on his knees for actress Anoushka Sharma, with Tiwari also kneeling before her, during a promotional tour of their latest film, "Jab Harry Met Sejal" in Varanasi last week.

Coincidentally, the same Tiwari had insulted a teacher of a New Delhi school on March 17, 2017 when she "requested" him to sing a song for the benefit of the assembled student gathering.

"Tiwari was furious at that function. He found it below his dignity to sing for a gathering of students and vented his anger at the poor lady teacher on the stage, insulting and humiliating her in full public view," the edit said.

The Sena said the teacher may have felt that given Tiwari's reputation as a reputed Bhojpuri folk singer it was a golden opportunity to let the children hear him live, but the Delhi BJP President could have wriggled out of it diplomatically, like how many other celebs do on such public platforms.

It recalled how Tiwari questioned the "audacity" of the teacher to ask him to sing before the young audience, accused her of not having "manners" to address an honourable Member of Parliament by making such a request to him.

Not content with this, he even publicly announced that "she should not be pardoned" for her impertinence, demanded "action against her" and even asked to exit the stage - with the entire episode being recorded by the cameras on stage and CCTVs.

"The same MP, who considered it demeaning to be invited to sing a few lines before a school audience, did not think twice before getting down on his knees uninvited on the streets of Varanasi, merely because he was facing a heroine (Anoushka Sharma) and not some lady teacher," the Sena noted.

The party wondered whether this is the real face of Tiwari's "culture, decency, behaviour and character", who was honoured with a postage stamp by The Netherlands government in 2008.

"Is this the 'message' being sent out by those making tall claims of protecting women's dignity and harping on 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' theme, to the whole country?" the Sena asked.

It pointed out that the whole country is stunned and angered by the "double character" of Tiwari in the light of the two incidents in the past six months, which went viral on the social networks.

Tiwari has been at the receiving end of people's anger on social media and other fora and been severely castigated for his public behaviour in the March and August incidents.