Srihari Aney cuts cake with Maharashtra map, creates controversy - Watch

Former Maharashtra advocate general Srihari Aney has long been a strong proponent of a separate Vidharbha state.

Pic courtesy: YouTube

Mumbai: Kicking up yet another controversy, former Maharashtra advocate general Srihari Aney on Wednesday night cut a cake featuring a map of the state into two pieces, namely Vidharbha and Marathwada.

Aney, known to be close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had quit as the AG recently over his remarks supporting separate statehood for Marathwada. The eminent lawyer has long been a strong proponent of a separate Vidharbha state.

The photographs were taken at his 66th birthday celebrations at Bhandara in Vidarbha on Wednesday midnight.

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Aney’s symbolic gesture has not gone down well with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray who said, “Aney will for the rest of his life remember this birthday where he hacked the cake prepared in the shape of Maharashtra into pieces.”

Referring to the former AG’s stand on separate statehood for Vidarbha and Marathwada, Thackeray had earlier said, “Is Maharashtra some kind of a cake, which you can cut slices of?”

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said "nothing better" can be expected from someone like Aney.

(With PTI inputs)