BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday launched a fierce attack on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, over recent incidents involving assaults on Hindi-speaking individuals in Maharashtra.
Dubey, who represents the Godda constituency in Jharkhand, dared the Thackeray cousins to visit northern and southern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, or Tamil Nadu and attempt similar actions against people from those regions.
"Come to UP, Bihar or Tamil Nadu. Tumhe patak-patak ke maarenge (people will thrash you black and blue)," he said, referring to the Thackerays’ aggressive stance against Hindi-speaking workers in Maharashtra.
The BJP MP also challenged them to try and attack any Urdu-speaking individual at Mumbai's Mahim dargah, as he referenced a recent incident where a Hindi-speaking vendor was allegedly assaulted.
“I dare them to go to Mahim dargah and try and assault any Urdu-speaking person,” he told the media agency, continuing his tirade.
His remarks came days after videos surfaced on social media showing MNS workers allegedly targeting labourers and vendors from North India for not speaking Marathi, the state’s official language.
In one such widely circulated video, a shopkeeper in Mumbai’s Mira Road area is seen being slapped by MNS members after he reportedly failed to converse in Marathi.
The spate of attacks has triggered widespread condemnation from political parties across India. The incidents coincided with the Maharashtra government's decision last week to roll back its proposed three-language policy following stiff opposition from Raj and Uddhav Thackeray.
The policy would have mandated instruction in Hindi, English, and Marathi in state schools, but was criticised by the Thackerays as an act of "Hindi imposition."
Raj Thackeray, speaking to his supporters last week, urged them to respond to provocations with physical force but not to record such incidents.
"If you beat someone, don’t make a video of the incident. Let the person beaten tell that he has been beaten up; you don’t need to tell everyone," he reportedly said.
Dubey accused the Thackerays of indulging in divisive politics and lashed out at their criticism of Hindi speakers. Highlighting the economic contributions of Hindi-speaking states, he said Maharashtra’s industries were significantly supported by investments and resources from states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.
"You have no industries in your state. You do not generate much tax. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have mines. Gujarat too has a few industries. What do you have?" Dubey said, branding the assaults as "cheap acts".
He also cited leading business groups like Reliance Industries and the Tata Group, claiming that their industrial units in Maharashtra owe much to capital generated in Hindi-speaking regions.
The political rift widened further after Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader and BJP ally Yogesh Kadam criticised Dubey’s remarks. "Such arrogance will not work. We will not tolerate such statements. He is a Parliamentarian. He has won four terms, but it does not befit him to give such statements," Kadam said.
The tension has brought renewed focus on language politics in Maharashtra. Over the weekend, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray shared the stage in Mumbai for the first time in two decades during a rally celebrating what they called a victory against the three-language mandate.
While Uddhav clarified he is not against Hindi, he maintained that the state's identity and language must not be undermined.
The MNS has long held a hardline stance on the primacy of Marathi in the state. Following the recent incident in Mira Road, the party defended the assault, stating, “If anyone insults the Marathi language, MNS will respond in this manner.”
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