Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday demanded that the body of painter M.F. Husain be brought back to India and the final rites for him should be performed in Maharashtra.
“M.F. Husain was greater than artist Pablo Picasso. A man of great spirit, a person of very high stature and a world-renowned painter has left us today. He was an Indian born in Maharashtra at Pandharpur, he is national wealth, and hence his body should be brought back and final rites should be performed in the state,” he said.
Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who has been a bitter critic of the painter, also expressed grief over his demise. “Damage may have been caused to modern art due to his demise. That’s all. May Allah give him peace,” he said. “As an artist, everyone has a domain and Husain handled modern art with zeal. However, he slipped while drawing paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses,” Bal Thackeray said, adding, “He was happy in his field.”