'Say politely we are learning Marathi': Ajit Pawar's advice on language row
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar suggested a way on Thursday to avoid trouble to non-Marathi people caught in the crosshairs of the language row in the state.
"People living here who do not know Marathi -- they should say politely that 'We do not know Marathi, we are learning it'. If you say this, then there will be no problem," he said as the row over language spiked and reached parliament.
Earlier in the day, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was targeted by Maharashtra women MPs over his comment.
Surrounded by furious women MP asking what he meant, Dubey said "Jai Maharashtra".
"The language of the state you live in should be respected. From Maharashtra to Jammu and Kashmir, everyone should be proud of their mother tongue... But what is going on in the name of language at present...," Ajit Pawar said.
Dubey's comment was a response to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's "dubo-dubo ke maarenge" threat.
Explaining how things escalate, Pawar said, "Sometimes it happens that some people react... they become arrogant... this does not work. Where you work... what the people there have to say, what is their thinking, you should think about all this sometimes. And everyone should live together happily".
This comes after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers have thrashed yet another man in Maharashtra for refusing to speak in Marathi.
"I will not speak in the language. What will you do?" the man was heard saying in the video, which has gone viral.
The incident took place amid protests by the MNS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) over what they called "Hindi imposition" in Maharashtra in the guise of implementation of the three-language policy in the state.
A shopkeeper was slapped multiple times by MNS workers in Thane for asking them why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory.
Another was assaulted in Vikhroli a few days later.
In a post on X last week, Raj Thackeray said he is proud of his "soldiers" for giving people a "befitting response", which stems from their "love" of the language.
However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has condemned the attacks and said resorting to violence over people not speaking Marathi is unacceptable.
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