Navnirman Sena and Samajwadi Party workers clash in Mumbai. Picture by SS Sundaram

Mumbai, Feb. 3: Raj Thackeray has been railing at Amitabh Bachchan but the actor’s wife has hit back where it hurts.

Seething supporters of the breakaway Sena leader — who believes Maharashtra is for Maharashtrians — hit the streets, stormed theatres and burnt reels of a Bhojpuri film after Jaya Bachchan said she didn’t know of any other Thackeray other than “Balasaheb” and Uddhav.

“Balasaheb (Raj’s uncle) is like a father and Uddhav being his son, we know both of them closely. I don’t know of any other Thackeray,” the actress-politician said this morning, asked about the rebel Sena leader’s comments against Amitabh for promoting home state Uttar Pradesh and not Maharashtra where he lives.

When told that Raj had said Amitabh chose Uttar Pradesh when it came to contesting elections and donating schools, Jaya said she had “read” that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader had a “large piece of land” at Kohinoor Mills. “If he donated a part of the land and if our (Samajwadi Party) leadership allows, we would be happy to open another school in Aishwarya’s name.”

Jaya, whose family last week opened a school in Barabanki in their daughter-in-law’s name, was alluding to the 4.9-acre plot Raj and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi had jointly bought in Dadar for Rs 421 crore. A mall is coming up on the plot.

Navnirman supporters went on the rampage soon after news channels aired Jaya’s remarks. A group stormed an event in Thane where Lalu Prasad was to be the chief guest. The railway minister, who wasn’t present at that time, had earlier objected to Raj’s comment that Chhat puja was a north Indian “nautanki” to show off their strength.

In Dadar, the Sena rebels clashed with Samajwadi workers who had come for a rally and assaulted taxi drivers and street vendors who appeared to be of north Indian origin.

In Nashik, a group stopped the screening of the Bhojpuri film Saiyyan Se Solah Singar and burnt the reels. A cinema in Thane was also stormed.

Sources said Bhojpuri singer-actor Manoj Tiwari, who performed at the Dadar rally, got threat calls warning him not to sing at north Indian functions.

Late at night, a group protested outside Prateeksha, the Bachchan bungalow in Juhu.

Samajwadi leader and Bachchan family friend Amar Singh filed an FIR against Raj.

Raj, who was in Pune when the clashes were reported, told reporters: “I stand by what I said. People who live in Maharashtra should adhere to the culture of Maharashtra, celebrate Maharashtra Day, and not Uttar Pradesh Divas.”

Raj, who launched his party in 2006, is said to be desperate to carve out a vote bank ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha and state polls.

The state government has ordered a probe into the violence. “We will not let anyone take law into their hands,” chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said. “Attack on those hailing from outside Maharashtra will not be tolerated.”