Marathi Hindi Language Politics: Dog is also a lion in the house? The politics of Maharashtra heated by Nishikant Dubey’s statement, raar in BJP

Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey’s remarks on the language dispute in the state were unfair and there was a danger of confusion. At the same time, leaders of various parties condemned Dubey’s statement. Fadnavis’s reaction comes at a time when Dubey’s ‘unfair’ comment on the language issue has been strongly condemned in the entire political circles. His statement was also objected to from within the state BJP and the ruling coalition.

Dubey, MP from Godda, Jharkhand, posted on ‘X’, “If you have the courage among those who kill Hindi speaking people in Mumbai, then kill Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. The controversy started with Dubey’s remarks with “Patkak Ke Maragenge”.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Nishikant Dubey especially talked about an organization, not usually against the Marathi people. However, it is unfair to make such comments in my opinion. This creates confusion in people’s minds.” The Chief Minister mentioned that Maharashtra is the biggest contributor to the country’s GDP.

Fadnavis said, “I think no one can deny the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the past and present. If anyone is denying it, I think it’s wrong.” While protecting Indian culture, he talked about the bravery of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Maharaj and Marathas.

On Monday, BJP leader and Culture Minister Ashish Shelar had said that no insult to Marathi ‘Manush’ will be tolerated. Without naming Dubey, Shelar clarified the BJP -led ‘Mahayuti’ government will not accept the efforts of any MP to question the abilities of Marathi Manush (Marathi speaking people). He discussed the contribution of Marathi speakers in India’s development. He said, ‘Marathi speaking does not live on anyone’s money.’ Shelar said that the government will not tolerate injustice to Marathi or non-Marathi speakers.

Minister of State for Home and Shiv Sena MLA Yogesh Kadam has given Dubey ‘final warning’ that such comments will not be accepted. Kadam said, ‘As a Shiv Sainik, I am giving the final warning to Dubey. If he repeats such statements, there will be a strong response. He is a four -time MP and senior leader. A person like him does not suit to talk like this.

Referring to the ‘challenge’ to take him out of Mumbai when Bhojpuri singer and actor Dinesh Lal Yadav spoke his language (Bhojpuri), Kadam said, ‘I am speaking as a Shiv Sainik, not as a minister. I will give my workers their address and see what happens to them.

BJP MLA from Borivali Sanjay Upadhyay warned against the statements that creating ‘bitterness’ among the people and emphasized that all languages ​​should be respected. Leaders of opposition parties also criticized the Dubey and Fadnavis government. Shiv Sena leader and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray attacked Dubey and called him ‘hyena’ to try to create differences with his statement of ‘Patkak Patak Ke Marage’.

Uddhav accused the BJP of trying to gain political benefits through “divide and rule policy” and said that he was not against any language, but would protest against it being imposed by force. He said, “The BJP has always been a policy of dividing and rule. This style of politics is now losing its relevance. I can understand whether his party is restless with the success of our rally in Mumbai on Saturday or not.”

Uddhav reacting to Dubey’s remarks targeting the Marathi people, saying, “Such ‘hyena’ is trying to spoil peace and harmony in the state. His (BJP leaders) is the only task to provoke people. We are not against any language, but we oppose the use of force to impose any language.” He criticized BJP’s Minister of State Ashish Shelar for comparing the recent violence against non-Marathi speakers with the Pahalgam terror attack.

Uddhav said, “These people are harming Maharashtra and Marathi language. Comparing those agitating for Marathi rights to terrorists is proof that they are against Maharashtra and Marathi people.” He questioned, ‘Are the terrorists of Pahalgam hiding in the homes of BJP leaders? These people should be ashamed to not protect Hindus and stand up with those who insult Marathi.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jalil told ‘PTI’ that the objective of Dubey’s remarks is to instigate people to react in a special way, which will eventually benefit the BJP. Shiv Sena (Ubatha) MLA Aditya Thackeray criticized Dubey for his ‘shameless’ and communal statements. He said, ‘These comments have been made for the political purpose of polarization between Marathi and Hindi speaking people. This is directly the BJP’s strategy that where there is no dispute, there should be a dispute and divide and rule. He said that Shiv Sena (Ubatha) is not against Hindi language, but it is against the BJP’s efforts to ‘impose it’ on Maharashtra. NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also expressed the same views.