Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday responded to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nishikant Dubey’s comments against MNS chief Raj Thackeray amid a Hindi vs Marathi row.
Chaturvedi, the Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, wondered if Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis agreed with the party leader’s ‘disparaging’ comments about the hard-working people of the state.
“Who made him the gatekeeper of Hindi? Who made him the tax keeper of India? Who made him the spokesperson of industrialists? Who made him the decision maker of what other party leaders should be doing? Chaturvedi asked in a post on X, quoting Dubey’s comments.
The BJP leader said: “Those who beat Hindi-speaking people in Mumbai, if you have the guts, try beating Urdu-speaking people in Maharashtra. Even a dog becomes a lion in its own house, right? Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the lion.”
In her response, Chauturvedi asked, “DoesDevendra Fadnavisji agree with their party MP’s language with regards to people of Maharashtra and his disparaging comments about hard-working people of the state?”
‘Salauddin, Masood Azhar, and Dawood Ibrahim’
Earlier on Sunday, Dubey took to X and compared Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS and NCP-SCP to terror accused Salauddin, Maulana Masood Azhar, and Dawood Ibrahim.
“In Mumbai, what is the difference between Shiv Sena Uddhav, MNS Raj Thackeray, and NCP Pawar Sahab, and those who drove Kashmiri Hindus out of Kashmir, like Salauddin, Maulana Masood Azhar, and Dawood Ibrahim, who committed atrocities against Hindus in Mumbai? One committed atrocity for being Hindu, while the others are committing atrocities because of Hindi?” Dubey wrote.
In another X post, Dubey wrote, “Those who beat Hindi-speaking people in Mumbai, if you have the guts, try beating Urdu-speaking people in Maharashtra. Even a dog becomes a lion in its own house, right? Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the lion.”
“Does Devendra Fadnavisjiagree to Ashish Shelar comparing Marathi Hindus to terrorists of Pahalgam?” Chaturvedi asked. On Sunday, Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar compared the agony of the Pahalgam terror attack, where Hindus were killed in the name of religion, and those getting “beaten up” in the name of language. He said that these incidents were distressing for him.
“All these incidents cause pain, suffering, and mental distress. In Pahalgam, they shot them after asking about their religion. And here, they beat up the innocent Hindus just because of the language they speak. Such cases create a disturbance,” Shelar said.
These remarks by BJP leaders come after incidents of violence and vandalism were reported in the state amid the ongoing Hindi-Marathi controversy.
Five workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were arrested in connection with the vandalism at entrepreneur Sushil Kedia’s office in Worli, police said on Saturday. A case has been registered against them under Sections 223, 189(2), 189(3), 190, 191(2), 191(3), and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Who made him the gatekeeper of Hindi? Who made him the tax keeper of India?
In another incident, as per a viral video, a group of men allegedly associated with a regional party beat up a shop owner for not speaking in Marathi. The incident occurred in the Mira-Bhayandar area near Mumbai.