Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh today claimed there is threat to the life of party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, who was assaulted by MNS members in the Maharashtra Assembly for taking oath in Hindi defying Raj Thackeray’s diktat.

“An anonymous caller rang up on my mobile phone a short while back saying that Abu Azmi won’t be spared for his comments on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and when he leaves for Vidhan Sabha in the morning, he will be taken care of,” Singh told reporters at a hurriedly convened press conference early this morning.

Singh had claimed yesterday that he received three anonymous calls in the last couple of days, threatening him with dire consequences, if he visited Mumbai.

In the aftermath of the incident and the resultant furore in political circles, Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ in its editorial had accused Azmi of insulting Marathi by taking oath in Hindi.

“Azmi is a rich politician of Mumbai with property worth Rs 200 crore which he has earned in Maharashtra. Why cannot he learn Marathi?” the editorial asked.

However, seeking to downplay the comments, Azmi has said Thackeray has become old and “speaks like a child”, triggering sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena as well as the MNS.