Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has distanced himself from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s inflammatory remarks amid a growing language controversy in the state, calling them “inappropriate” and cautioning against creating confusion among communities.
The comments by Dubey, Lok Sabha MP from Godda in Jharkhand, came in response to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s provocative statement urging party workers to “hit below the eardrum” those who refuse to speak Marathi in Mumbai – but not to record videos of such assaults.
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In a post on social media platform X, Dubey responded: “To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger.”
He further escalated the rhetoric, saying, “Tumko patak patak ke maarenge” (You will be thrashed badly, again and again), indirectly challenging Raj Thackeray and daring him to confront Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu speakers beyond Maharashtra.
Fadnavis, addressing the media at the Vidhan Bhavan premises on Tuesday, criticized the tone and implications of Dubey’s statement.
“If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general,” Fadnavis said. “However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people.”
Reaffirming the contribution of Maharashtra and its people to India’s growth, Fadnavis said, “The biggest contribution to the country’s GDP comes from Maharashtra. No one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the history and present of the country. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong.”
“When invaders tried to attack our culture, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and Marathas fought across the country. During the third battle of Panipat, Abdali was ready to seal a pact, but our Marathas did not give in,” he added
The dispute erupted following Raj Thackeray’s aggressive speech during a recent victory rally in Mumbai, where he told MNS workers to ensure that non-Marathi speakers in the city learn the local language, but refrained from recording any violent acts.
Dubey hit back strongly, accusing the Thackeray cousins – Raj and Uddhav – of playing “cheap politics” ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
“You people are surviving on our money,” Dubey said, referring to industrial giants like Tata, Birla, and Reliance, claiming their origins lay outside Maharashtra. He further dared the Thackerays to go to Mahim and attack Hindi or Urdu speakers near Mahim Dargah to prove their “bravery.”
Without naming anyone, the BJP MP dared the ‘bahut bade boss’ to come out of Maharashtra and said, “Tumko patak patak ke maarenge” (you will be thrashed badly, again and again).
Dubey’s comments came in response to Raj Thackeray’s comment on the victory rally in Mumbai, where he told his party workers to beat those who don’t speak Marathi, but not to record videos of such incidents.
Nishikant Dubey also hit out at the Thackeray brothers, who reunited on a stage after two decades, for their ‘cheap politics’ ahead of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation poll and said, “You people are surviving on our money.”
“You are saying that people will have to speak Marathi. Whose roti (bread) you are eating? There are Tata, Birla and Reliance, they are not unique to Maharashtra. Tata established its first factory here (in Bihar). You people are surviving on our money,” Dubey lashed out at the Thackeray cousins.
Raj Thackeray, while addressing party workers, said, “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. But if someone shows useless drama, you must hit below their eardrums.”
Raj also advised against recording the video of the incident, saying, “Let the person beaten up tell that he has been beaten up.”
