Shah Rukh Khan at a promotional for My Name is Khan in Indore on Friday. (PTI)

Mumbai, Jan. 29: The Shiv Sena today targeted Mukesh Ambani for talking about the rights of Indians in India, and Shah Rukh Khan for his comments on the duties of Indians to Pakistanis — cricketers, that is.

Bal Thackeray attacked the Reliance boss — as he had ticked off Sachin Tendulkar before — for saying that Mumbai belonged to all Indians. “Don’t meddle with Mumbai-Marathi manoos,” the Sena chief said.

Hours later, Sena mobs tore posters of Shah Rukh’s My Name Is Khan in Thane and Nashik over the actor’s expression of regret at Pakistani players being ignored at the recent Indian Premier League auction.

Ambani’s comments had come at a panel discussion at the London School of Economics on January 27. Speaking on whether non-Marathi speakers should be stopped from driving cabs in Mumbai, Ambani had said: “We are all Indians first. Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi belong to all Indians.”

This morning, a news report on the front-page of Sena mouthpiece Saamna quoted Thackeray as saying: “Marathi people have as much right over Mumbai as Mukesh Ambani has over Reliance companies.”

The Sena chief added: “We always regarded Mukesh Ambani as a true Mumbaikar. His father and our late friend Dhirubhai Ambani was loyal to Mumbai. The Ambanis could spread their industrial empire because of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Dhirubhai had always acknowledged his indebtedness to Maharashtra. Then why has Mukesh Ambani chosen to tread a different path?”

Thackeray said he was warning the business community, including Mukesh Ambani, that Mumbai would remain Maharashtra’s capital. “When Pandit Mukesh Ambani says Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi belong to all Indians, why has he excluded cities like Ahmedabad, Jamnagar and Rajkot?” he asked, citing how 105 people “were martyred” trying to get Mumbai (then Bombay) included in Maharashtra.

In November, Thackeray had criticised Tendulkar for his remark that Mumbai belonged to India and advised the cricketer to stay off politics.

As for Shah Rukh, Saamna executive editor and Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut told reporters: “If Shah Rukh wants Pakistani players to play here, he should go to Karachi and Islamabad to play with them.… If he includes Pakistani players in his team (Kolkata Knight Riders), he should be aware of the consequences.”

Minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe said Shah Rukh would be provided security if the actor so wanted. “Strict action will be taken against those taking the law into their own hands. Whatever Shah Rukh has said is his personal opinion. Politics and sport should not be combined,” the minister said.

“The Sena has its own agenda. They are doing their work but we will protect the citizens.”

Bagwe added that the government would provide security to Australian cricketers who play in Maharashtra. The Sena had threatened to stop Australians from entering Maharashtra till the attacks on Indians stopped on Australian soil.