High drama unfolded in the Mira Bhayandar area near Mumbai, where hundreds took part in an MNS-led protest march when Maharashtra minister Pratap Sarnaik tried to join the protest. MNS workers heckled the minister and forced him to leave the protest site in Thane.
Several workers of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS were detained in Thane's Mira Road this morning when they took out a march to counter the protests against the incident of July 1, in which MNS workers slapped a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi and were detained for this assault. MNS leader Avinash Jadhav was also detained by police around 3:30 AM, reported PTI.
According to NDTV, several MNS workers, while detained, questioned why their protest was prohibited. Many of them said that whoever lives in Maharashtra must learn Marathi and threatened that those who don't will "face consequences".
The Incident That Sparked The Protest
At the centre of the language row is the July 1 incident where a forty-eight-year-old food stall owner, Babulal Chaudhary, who runs the 'Jodhpur Sweet Shop' in Mira Road, was assaulted by a group of men, allegedly from the MNS, for not speaking Marathi. The MNS workers demanded that Chaudhary and his staff speak in Marathi. The shop owner pointed out that all languages are spoken in the state, reported NDTV.
A video of the attack went viral, showing the men slapping and threatening the vendor. Seven MNS workers were detained for the assault and later released, according to News 18.
The MNS planned its rally as a direct response to this incident, aiming to reinforce its long-held agenda that Marathi must be used in all local businesses and banks.
Opposition Leaders React
According to PTI reports, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to the protests, saying, "I think I know Maharashtra's mood. Such experiments won't work here. A Marathi has a large heart. He does not think small."
Fadnavis also claimed that the police did not deny the MNS workers from protesting, “ In Maharashtra, everyone has the right to take out a protest march. Anyone can do so after taking police permission. There are traffic issues, stampede risks etc. The police commissioner told me they (MNS leaders) were asked to change the route, but they were adamant. So police stopped them."
Senior BJP leader and MP Nishikant Dubey reacted to the recent language row and dared the Thackerays to come to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
NDTV reported that the BJP leader said, "If you're so courageous that you can beat those who speak Hindi, then you should also beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. If you're such a big 'boss,' step out of Maharashtra, come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu - tumko patak patak ke maarenge."
