Koda on Tuesday condemned the statement of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray urging film producers to blacklist Tanushree Dutta accusing her of ‘tarnishing the image of Patekar’. Thackeray had also demanded an apology from Dutta.

Dutta had recently charged Nana Patekar with indecent behaviour during shooting of a dance number of a film ‘Horn OK Please’ and refused to shoot the rest of the song.

The film’s director, producer and choreographer sided with Patekar and branded her as ‘unprofessional’. Dutta was replaced by Rakhi Sawant.

Some vested interest were bent upon to promote regionalism to drive political mileage, which was not in the interest of the country, Koda, who was in Jamshedpur to attend a function, said.

Stating that the issue should not have been given a regional colour, Koda said he would take up the matter with the union government as well as the Maharashtra government.