• Source:JND
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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has made it clear that while everyone living in Maharashtra whether Gujarati or anyone else should know Marathi, there is no justification for resorting to violence if someone doesn’t speak the language. "Be it Gujarati or anyone else here, must know Marathi, but there is no need to beat people for that if they don’t speak Marathi," Thackeray said, addressing party workers. However, he added in a controversial remark, “But if someone shows useless drama, you must hit below their eardrums. I tell you one more thing: if you beat someone, don’t make a video of the incident. Let the person beaten up tell that he has been beaten up, you don’t need to tell everyone that you have beaten someone."

The statement comes amid a growing outcry over a recent incident in Mira Road where a shopkeeper was assaulted by MNS workers after he allegedly refused to speak Marathi. The incident has sparked a fresh language row, drawing reactions from across the political spectrum.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also weighed in on the controversy. “We want that our mother tongue Marathi is not insulted and no language is forcefully imposed,” he said. “We don’t want anybody to take the law into their hands, but when it is the other way round and Marathi or Maharashtra is insulted, things can escalate.”

Shopkeeper Refuses To Speak Marathi, MNS Workers Slaps Him

The clash came to light after a video went viral showing a group of MNS workers confronting a sweets shop owner. The men appeared to be angered when the shopkeeper questioned why speaking Marathi should be compulsory. Despite his attempts to reason with them, the shopkeeper was slapped multiple times.

The incident reportedly occurred on July 1, the same day the Maharashtra government withdrew its orders implementing the three-language policy in schools, a move that the opposition had called an attempt to impose Hindi. The shopkeeper allegedly asked MNS workers why Marathi was being enforced, prompting the violent outburst.

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In the viral video, an MNS member is heard warning the shopkeeper, "You asked me why you should speak in Marathi. What does that mean? When you had trouble, you came to the MNS office." Another worker adds abusive language, threatening to block his business operations in the area. When the shopkeeper responded by saying all languages are spoken in Maharashtra, he was slapped and struck several times, even as he tried to explain himself.

Following public outrage, an FIR was registered at Kashimira police station against seven MNS workers under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to promoting unrest and violence.

The MNS has long opposed the central government’s three-language policy, which forms part of the National Education Policy (NEP). The party, along with the Shiv Sena (UBT), had also announced a joint protest in Mumbai against the implementation of the policy.

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Thackeray Brothers Reunite In Mumbai After Two Decades

After almost two decades, the estranged Thackeray cousins Uddhav and Raj came together at a rally in Mumbai's Worli. Both the leaders shared the stage and hugged each other while thousands stood in the audience. The event was marked by symbolic gestures such as garlanding the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

At the rally, Raj Thackeray took a veiled dig at Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying he achieved what even Balasaheb Thackeray could not uniting the two estranged cousins, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, in a show of Marathi pride.