• Source:JND
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Maharashtra Language Row: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday further sharpened his attack on Raj Thackeray amid the Hindi-Marathi row in Maharashtra. While lashing out at the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Dubey shared a 2007 incident of violence by MNS workers on a student from Bihar mentioned in Wikileaks.

Dubey said that hooliganism is the only work of MNS workers carried "out of fear" of losing Municipal Corporation elections. In a post on X, Nishikant Dubey said, "When Raj Thackeray does not get public support, he puts goons forward, meaning hooliganism is his sole purpose, which he does just before the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections out of fear of losing."

ALSO READ: Maharashtra Language Row: MNS Workers Protest Despite CM Fadnavis' Warning, BJP MP's 'Maarenge' Remark Deepens Stir

"My opposition is to Thackeray's hooliganism, and the limits of tolerance have been exhausted," he added. He also expressed his respect for the Marathi community.

"The Maratha community is always respectable, and the country belongs to all of us. Where I am an MP, Maratha Madhulimaye ji has been an MP three times in a row. We made a Maratha win the Lok Sabha against Indira Gandhi. Thackeray, come to your senses, don't make your fight about the Maratha community, we have contributed to Mumbai's development and will continue to do so," Dubey said.

Patak ke maarenge gets 'not right' response from CM Fadnavis

Dubey's comments came a day after he made a controversial statement in response to Raj Thackeray's controversial remarks at a joint rally with Uddhav Thackeray on July 5.

Nishikant Dubey had said, "If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu too. If you're such a 'boss', come out of Maharashtra -- come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. 'Tumko patak patak ke maarenge'..."

"We all respect Marathi and the people of Maharashtra, who fought for India's independence. We respect all the freedom fighters -- Chhatrapati Shivaji, Tatya Tope, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale -- Maharashtra has contributed a lot to our freedom and independence," Mr Dubey added.

As controversy rose, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis publicly called Dubey's statement 'not right' and clarified that his statement was not aimed against Marathi people but against an organisation.

Fadnavis said, "He's talking about an organisation, not a Marathi. Yet, what he said is not right. It leads to different opinions. Marathi's contribution is incomparable. Marathis kept Independence alive even after foreign invasions."

What Ignited The Marathi Language Row?

The Maharashtra government's 2 now scrapped GRs, making Hindi a mandatory third language for students from classes 1 to 5, was picked by the Thackeray brothers as a new political weapon against the government.

ALSO READ: How Three-Language Formula Triggered Hindi-Marathi Row In Maharashtra? Check How It Connects To Uddhav Thackeray

After two decades, they came together on July 5 during a rally in Mumbai. While addressing the rally, Raj Thackeray made a controversial appeal to his workers to continue beating people over language, but do not record it. He said, "Let him go and tell everyone." The statement itself stems from a row where MNS workers were caught on camera assaulting non-Marathi speaking people. 

 

(With PTI Inputs)