A fresh political row has erupted in Maharashtra after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat reportedly described insistence on language and periodic agitations over it as a ‘kind of disease’ at an event in Mumbai on February 8.
The remarks triggered a sharp response from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, who accused Bhagwat of belittling linguistic and regional identities that have historically shaped India’s federal structure.
Raj Thackeray said on Tuesday that if RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat if of the opinion that protesting for one’s language is a “disease”, then a majority of the states in the country suffer from it.
In a post on X, Thackeray also claimed that those who attended Bhagwat’s programme here on February 7-8 to mark the RSS centenary did not come out of love for him but out of fear of Narendra Modi’s government.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, dismissed the remarks, saying people attend Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) programmes voluntarily and with discipline.
On the issue of Marathi language and identity, the ruling BJP said Marathi is a matter of pride, but stressed that a language should remain a medium of communication rather than conflict.
Thackeray noted that the regional sentiment in the southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is fervent. There is a similar sentiment in Punjab, West Bengal and even in Gujarat.
When hordes of people from four to five states in the country go to different states, act arrogantly there, reject the local culture, insult the local language, create their own vote banks, it leads to resentment among locals, leading to outbursts, he noted.
Will Bhagwat call it a disease? The MNS president asked.
RSS chief interaction in Mumbai
During an event in Mumbai over the weekend, Bhagwat interacted with people from diverse walks of life and answered a series of questions. On the language row, he had said the “localised disease” should not spread.
Reacting to it, Thackeray said, “If Bhagwat feels love for language and state is a disease, then a majority of the states in the country suffer from it.”
Thackeray said Bhagwat did not give these “sermons” to Gujarat when thousands of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were driven away from there. Why were such lessons not given to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Punjab? he asked.
“Bhagwat can show the courage of making such remarks because Marathi manoos are tolerant, but more than that, those in power are spineless,” he claimed.
The MNS and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) contested last month’s municipal corporation polls on the plank of Marathi identity and the ‘sons of the soil’ issue.
“For us, the Marathi language and the Marathi people are of paramount priority. Linguistic and regional identities will remain in this country, and so they will in Maharashtra too! This is our right, and whenever such situations arise, Maharashtra will rise with full fury,” the MNS chief said.
The MNS leader further said he respects the Sangh’s work, but it should not indirectly take a political stand. And if it does, then it must first pull up the government that’s “imposing Hindi (which isn’t even the national language) across the country,” and then come teach us about harmony.
Raj Thackeray also said Bhagwat should not teach him Hindutva. When Hindus are attacked, the MNS will do whatever it can as Hindus.
The MNS was the party that took out marches against the Raza Academy “riots”, protested against loudspeakers on mosques, and took a stand against the massive loudspeakers and DJs during Hindu festivals that trouble citizens, he pointed out.
“We call out what’s wrong as wrong. When will you (Bhagwat) speak up like that? When will you speak about the chaos in the name of Hindutva across the country – the way women are made to dance during kanwar yatras in north India?” he said.
In 2014, India was ninth in beef exports and today it’s second, yet the drama of cow slaughter politics continues, inflaming sentiments. When will Bhagwat speak on it? Raj Thackeray asked.
BJP responds
Responding to the comments, BJP state chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye in a post on X said the MNS leader needs to come out of his “misconception” that people attend RSS events out of fear.
Upadhye said that Raj Thackeray should dispel the misconception. It’s wrong to assume that just as people come out of fear of MNS, the same must be happening elsewhere. People participate in RSS shakhas, rallies and most events willingly and in an orderly manner, the BJP leader asserted.
He said many RSS activities are held early in the morning or at dawn and therefore may not be visible to everyone.
“The RSS has gained social acceptance over a hundred years of work, while self-serving political parties like the MNS have faded within a few decades. Thackeray should reflect on this,” he said.
Referring to the issue of Marathi language and identity, Upadhye said Marathi is a matter of pride, but any language should serve as a medium of communication, not conflict.
He said that when insistence on Marathi turned into hatred for other languages and led to loss of lives, credibility on the issue was lost.
If Bhagwat feels love for language and state is a disease, then a majority of the states in the country suffer from it.
Upadhye also said there was no need to offer advice to the RSS, adding that the organisation stands for dialogue, not confrontation.
