A fresh war of words has erupted between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over remarks made amid the ongoing language row in Maharashtra.
Raj Thackeray, addressing a rally in Mumbai on Friday, hit back at Dubey’s earlier threat of “patak patak ke maarenge” (will thrash you), declaring that he would drown the BJP MP “many times over” in Mumbai’s sea. “A BJP MP said, ‘Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge’. You come to Mumbai, we will make you drown in the sea again and again,” Thackeray said to loud cheers from the crowd.
Responding to Thackeray’s sharp comments, Dubey taunted that he had taught Hindi to the MNS chief. The exchange follows Dubey’s earlier jibe about Marathi speakers, which triggered sharp reactions across political lines.
Doubling down on his pro-Marathi stand, Thackeray stressed he would never compromise when it came to protecting the language and culture of Maharashtra. He urged everyone living in the state to learn Marathi at the earliest and speak it proudly wherever they go.
“I will not compromise on Marathi and the people of Maharashtra. Those who live here must learn Marathi soon. Wherever you go, speak Marathi. In Karnataka, they fight for their language. Even a rickshaw puller knows the government stands behind him on this. Similarly, you must stand like a pillar and speak only in Marathi,” he said.
Criticising the state government for its now-revoked three-language policy, Thackeray attacked Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for pushing Hindi in schools instead of strengthening Marathi education. “Fadnavis said he would make Hindi compulsory in schools. Marathi must be made mandatory in all schools, but instead, you are talking about Hindi,” he said.
Recently, the Maharashtra government cancelled the two government resolutions introducing Hindi as a compulsory third language in primary schools. One resolution had made Hindi mandatory for pupils in Classes 1 to 5, while the other made it optional.
Raising concerns over economic and cultural shifts, Thackeray also accused certain Gujarati businessmen of attempting to divide Mumbai from the rest of Maharashtra.
“A few Gujarati businessmen are trying to cause a rift between Mumbai and Maharashtra. They have had their eyes on Mumbai for years. They are testing us. They want to see if Maharashtra will resist the imposition of Hindi. If we stay silent, Hindi is only the first step. Their plan is to take control and shift everything to Gujarat,” he alleged.
Earlier, Dubey, who represents Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha, had sparked outrage with his comment targeting attacks on Hindi speakers in Mumbai.
“To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai—if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger. Tumko patak patak ke maarenge,” Dubey had said.
The remarks were condemned by leaders within his own party, with Deputy CM Fadnavis calling them “ill-advised” and warning they could create confusion among the people.
Despite the backlash, Dubey defended his statement, saying he remained proud of Hindi as his mother tongue and stood by his words.
“This is a diverse country and people love their regions. If Maharashtra is part of India, anyone can live anywhere. But they assault Hindi speakers. Even today, only 31 to 32 per cent of Mumbai’s residents speak Marathi. I respect Maharashtra’s contribution to the economy and I have huge respect for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” Dubey told the media agency.
He added, “I am proud that my mother tongue is Hindi. Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray are not laat sahabs (entitled lords). I am an MP—I do not take the law into my hands. But whenever they go out, wherever they go, the people there will beat them,” he said, referring to previous incidents where MNS workers assaulted non-locals for not knowing Marathi.
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