Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has once again stirred up state politics with comments regarding the language debate. In his statement, he targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying that the government's priorities regarding the Marathi language are headed in the wrong direction.
Raj Thackeray: The language debate has once again heated up in Maharashtra. This time, the voice has been raised by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who directly targeted the state government and especially Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that instead of promoting Hindi, the government should focus on teaching Marathi to those coming from outside.
Raj Thackeray made this statement at the anniversary celebration of the Shetkari Kamgar Party, where he was invited as a special guest. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) senior leader Sanjay Raut was also present at the event.
Questioning the Chief Minister's Thinking
Raj Thackeray said,
'The Chief Minister of Maharashtra is thinking about how to bring Hindi to the state, but he is not thinking about how to teach Marathi to the people coming from outside.'
He also added that when the country's Home Minister himself says, "I am not a Hindi speaker, but a Gujarati," then why is Raj Thackeray called narrow-minded?
Re-emphasizing Marathi Identity
Raj Thackeray has long been known for promoting the Marathi language and culture in Maharashtra. During the program, he made it clear that we welcome industries in Maharashtra along with the identity and respect of the Marathi people. However, if any industry is built on the grave of a Marathi person, we will not tolerate it.
This statement comes against the backdrop of the state government implementing a new land act along the lines of the Public Safety Act (PSA), which could give the government the power to arrest people who oppose any project.
Bring Industries, but with Marathi Respect
Raj Thackeray raised serious questions about the state government's land acquisition policies. He said,
'If you want to bring industries, then bring them, but with the respect of the Marathi people. If you just grab lands in the name of roads and then benefit industrialists, it will not be acceptable.'
He accused the government of doing all this to appease the public before the elections. Raj Thackeray said that Maharashtra is a culturally rich state, whose identity is linked to the Marathi language and traditions.
We should not let our mother tongue and cultural roots be lost. As long as our language is alive, our culture is also alive. Raj Thackeray also said that Marathi is not just a spoken language, but a symbol of self-respect and existence.
