The Marathi language issue raked by Thackaray brothers—Uddhav and Raj—in Maharashtra has not just put the Congress party in the proverbial Catch 22 situation, it is now also beginning to singe the ruling BJP in the state, especially after a rather provocative statement from its Jharkhand MP Nishikant Dubey.
Amid the growing language controversy, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday distanced himself from Dubey’s inflammatory remarks, describing them as “inappropriate”, cautioning against creating confusion among communities. Fadnavis said there was nothing wrong in expecting people to speak Marathi but it was unacceptable to resort to violence, warning legal action against those who take law into their hands.
Responding to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s statement urging party workers to “hit below the eardrum” those who refuse to speak Marathi in Mumbai, Dubey dared the MNS leader to also beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil or Telugu.
“If you are courageous enough and beat those who speak Hindi, then you should beat all those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. If you are such a big ‘boss’ come out of Maharashtra, come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadum ‘tumko patak patak ke maarenge’, this anarchy won’t work”
He also dared the Thackeray cousins to go and beat people in Muslim-dominated Mahim.“We all respect Marathi and the people of Maharashtra, who fought for India’s independence. The BMC election is due, and hence, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray are doing cheap politics. If they have courage, they should go to Mahim and beat any Hindi or Urdu speaking people in front of Mahim dargah then I will consider them true ancestors of Balasaheb Thackeray,” Dubey said.
Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi slammed Dubey, asking who made him the “gatekeeper of Hindi”. “Who made him the tax keeper of India? Who made him the spokesperson of industrialists? Who made him the decision maker of what other party leaders should be doing?” she said, also questioning Fadnavis whether he agreed with his party MP’s language.
Congress, which is an ally of Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, has already warned Thackerays over assaults on Hindi speakers with former CM Prithviraj Chavan asserting that nobody can beat up Hindi speakers. He also questioned if Marathis could be bashed outside Maharashtra.
Congress demand for strict action against MNS workers has put it at odds with its ally Uddhav and Dubey’s remarks has given Fadnavis something to worry about ahead of the local bodies elections, say observers
The MNS has been involved in multiple incidents of violence against non-Marathi speakers across Maharashtra, including vandalising offices and assaulting individuals in Mumbai, Thane, and Dhule. Uniting after 20 years at a public rally in Worli, Mumbai, for an event called ‘Awaj Marathicha’, Raj and Uddhav have further added to the situation.
