Mumbai/Patna, Sept. 3: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray continued to be in the line of fire of parties across spectrum and people for threatening to throw out Biharis from Maharashtra.

Two cases were filed against him today for his hate speech.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, however, backed the Mumbai police and criticised chief minister Nitish Kumar for questioning the arrest of a “traitor”.

Reacting to the Shiv Sena chief’s statement, Nitish today said: “Everyone is entitled to have his (or her) views. The JD(U) and the BJP are allies in Bihar, not in Maharashtra and Gujarat.”

He added that his alliance with the BJP in Bihar did not mean that his party was in any pact with the Shiv Sena and the MNS. Yesterday, Nitish had used terms such as sirfira (mentally deranged) and aira gaira (a nobody) to describe the MNS chief for the latter’s jibe at Biharis settled in Maharashtra.

Raj Thackeray had last week threatened to brand Biharis “infiltrators” and force them out of Maharashtra if authorities in Bihar took legal action against Mumbai policemen for picking up a teenager from Sitamarhi district without informing their counterparts in the state.

Taking strong exception to it, a case was filed at the Patna chief judicial magistrate’s court, wherein petitioner Vinay Bihari maintained that the MNS leader had indulged in anti-national activities and should be charged for sedition. The court will hear the case on September 10. Social activist Biresh Pandey filed another case in the court of the Nalanda chief judicial magistrate.

In Delhi, Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today said: “Everybody has a right to go anywhere and seek employment.” On Thackeray targeting certain news channels, he said, “It is not fair to target the media. At times the media criticises people and it should be accepted.”

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said: “The situation in Maharashtra is so because the state government has not been able to take strict action against such acts (of Raj Thackeray).”

RJD leader Ram Kirpal Yadav said: “There is no difference between terrorists and these people.”