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Raj Thackeray cited Tamil Nadu’s language row and said that they “dared to say no to Hindi”. He warned to “slap” those refusing to speak Marathi in Maharashtra.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray (PTI Image)
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday said that his party would not refrain from “slapping” people in the state if they refuse to speak Marathi in the state.
He cited the Tamil Nadu language row and said that they “dared” to say “no to Hindi”.
“In our Mumbai, they tell us that they cannot speak Marathi. They will get a slap on the face. Don’t tell me about the country and all. Every state has its language, and it must be respected. In Mumbai, Marathi should be respected,” Thackeray said while addressing the MNS annual Gudhi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
He asked the party workers to “check every bank and establishment” from today to ascertain if “Marathi is being used”.
“All of you should stand firmly for Marathi. Look at Tamil Nadu. It dared to say no to Hindi. Even Kerala,” he said.
Notably, Tamil Nadu and the central governments have been at loggerheads over the National Education Policy, as the former accused the latter of attempting to “impose” Hindi on the southern state. The Centre, on the other hand, accused the MK Stalin government of trying to mislead the people of the state on the issue of NEP.
He further appealed to the people not to get divided on the basis of caste and said that the leaders are doing so to “stop you from coming together as Marathis”.
“I appeal to the youngsters of Maharashtra to first stop reading history on WhatsApp and from the caste point of view. This is being done to politically divide you, stop you from coming together as Marathis. It diverts our attention and works like giving lands to Adani are done silently,” Thackeray said.
Commenting on the recent controversy over Aurangzeb’s tomb, the MNS chief said, “We shouldn’t destroy the structures of those defeated by the Marathas. The world should know that we buried them.”
He questioned the sudden focus on Aurangzeb, saying, “A Hindu who wakes up after watching a film is of no use. History can’t be learned through WhatsApp; you need to read books.” Thackeray added.
