K. annamalai sparks row: 'bombay is not a maharashtra city, it is an international city'

This report covers the escalating political war in maharashtra over mumbai's identity. the row was triggered by bjp leader k. annamalai, who stated, 'because bombay is not a maharashtra city, it's an international city' while advocating for a 'triple engine sarkar' ahead of the bmc polls. maharashtra chief minister devendra fadnavis defended the remarks, claiming they were misconstrued, and hit back at uddhav thackeray and raj thackeray. fadnavis argued the conflict is about the political survival of the shiv sena (ubt) and mns rather than regional pride. he further pointed out that it was during uddhav thackeray's tenure that the cabinet approved teaching hindi and english in schools. meanwhile, uddhav thackeray mocked annamalai, warning of a public backlash in tamil nadu for such comments. the transcript highlights the sharp divide between the bjp and the thackeray cousins over the administration and cultural identity of india's financial capital.