Don't understand Marathi? You'll get slapped, Raj Thackeray warns non-locals
MNS chief Raj Thackeray issued a fresh threat to non-Marathi speakers in Mumbai, saying that if they 'fool around,' they will be slapped. He warned non-Marathi locals to go about their work quietly or face the consequences.
In Short
- Raj Thackeray justifies assault on a shop owner for not speaking Marathi
- Calls out traders protesting the assault and questions their shutdowns
- Threatens action if Hindi is made compulsory in Maharashtra schools
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday intensified his rhetoric against non-Marathi speakers in the state, saying that if someone doesn't understand Marathi, they will get a tight slap.
"Now if you can't understand Marathi even when it's spoken directly into your ear, you'll get a slap below it. People create a fuss for no reason," Raj Thackeray said while addressing a rally in Mumbai's Mira-Bhayandar, where his party workers had assaulted a shop owner a few days ago for not speaking Marathi.
Recalling the incident and taunting the local traders for protesting against the assault on the shopkeeper, Raj Thackeray said, "Whatever happened to that person was because of his attitude. Other traders had called for a shutdown. But if someone closes their shop under pressure, understand this—how long will you keep your shop shut? If we stop buying, then what?"
"You have all come here, stay quiet and do your work. But if you fool around here, a slap is guaranteed," he added.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Thackeray said said if Hindi was made mandatory for Classes 1 to 5 in schools in Maharashtra, his party will "shut down schools".
Earlier this month, the BJP-led government had withdrawn two orders making Hindi mandatory in primary schools following strong opposition by several organisations and political parties including the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Raj's estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray.
Speaking at the rally, Raj also said he was not opposed to any language, but would not tolerate compulsion.