• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Mumbai: A day after the vandalism incident at his office, Sushil Kedia issued an apology for his earlier statement vowing not to learn Marathi, saying he had posted it on social media in a stressful state of mind and under the wrong mindset.

Meanwhile, five supporters of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have been arrested by Mumbai Police for the attack on Kedia’s office in the Worli area on Saturday.

"It is being manipulated by people who want to gain controversy. Having come under the pressure of violence on those who do not know Marathi, I ended up overreacting. I realised I must take back my overreactions. Truth is, even after living for 30 years in Mumbai, the level of proficiency and fluency that native Marathi can have, we won't be able to achieve," he said in a video message.

"When there is an atmosphere of fear that keeps on returning from time to time, it creates natural hesitation. What if I end up speaking inappropriately, and some people will choose to blow it out of proportion to purposefully interpret as an insult being inflicted upon Marathi?" he said.

The CCTV footage shows a group of five to six individuals, identified as supporters of Raj Thackeray, launching an attack on the office by hurling objects that appeared to be bricks. They had brought the bricks concealed in blue plastic bags. A security guard intervened in an attempt to stop them, but the attackers continued until they had emptied all the bags.

ALSO READ: 'Come Together To Stay Together, Will Capture Power In Maharashtra': Uddhav Thackeray On Reunion With Raj Thackeray

In response, police had deployed adequate security at Kedia's office, located near Century Bazar.

Shortly after the vandalism, Kedia once again tagged Thackeray on X, stating that intimidating him with hundreds of MNS workers would not make him fluent in Marathi. He emphasised that it is love, not threats, that brings people together and fosters true integration.

He also appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure his security in light of the incident.

“Shri Raj Thackeray threatening me by 100s of your workers is not going to make me a fluent Marathi speaker. If I am not confident of the quality of Marathi I can speak, with so much threatening around even more fear happens that if I miss speaking any word(s) improperly more violence will happen. Get the point. Love, not threat, makes people get assimilated together,” he said.

On July 3, Kedia had tagged Raj Thackeray on X, saying he does not know Marathi properly even after living in Mumbai for 30 years. "Do note Raj Thackeray I dont know Marathi properly even after living for 30 years in Mumbai & with your gross misconduct I have made it a resolve that until such people as you are allowed to pretend to be taking care of Marathi Manus I take pratigya I won't learn Marathi. Kya karna hai bol?," he said.

In response, Mumbai MNS chief Sandeep Deshpande advised Kedia to focus on his business and refrain from making remarks against the Marathi language.

"Do business if you're a businessman, don't try to act like our father. If you insult Marathi in Maharashtra, you'll get a slap on the ear, otherwise, stay in your lane, Mehta, or whoever. That's all for now," he said, according to the NDTV report.

ALSO READ: 'If You Beat Someone...': Raj Thackeray's 'Don't Record' Advice After MNS Workers Thrash Vendor Over Marathi Language

Thackeray Brothers Rally

After two decades of political estrangement, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray shared the stage today at a public rally in Mumbai. Speaking at the event, titled ‘Awaj Marathicha’ (Voice of the Marathi), Uddhav Thackeray took a swipe at Kedia, mockingly rhyming his name with ‘Bhediya’ (wolf).