‘Bullying non-Marathi speakers is wrong’: Ramdas Athawale warns of action in Maharashtra; calls Uddhav, Raj Thackeray’s stand ‘against Balasaheb’s vision’ | India News
NEW DELHI: Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Wednesday said that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government will not tolerate incidents of “bullying” non-Marathi speakers in the state.“Those who indulge in such bullying will be taught a lesson,” Athawale said at a press conference, adding that the approach of leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on the issue is “against Balasaheb Thackeray’s vision.”“I said that this is wrong. Knowing Marathi is fine. Telling them to learn Marathi is okay, but bullying them, slapping them, that is not right. Action has been taken by the police against those involved in such illegal actions, and our government will not allow such bullying,” Athawale stated.Criticising what he called “wrong politics” in the name of Marathi, Athawale pointed out that Mumbai is the financial capital of India and home to people from across the country. “It is not about opposing Hindi. There was a concern that teaching Hindi from first grade is not right. Balasaheb Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena so that Marathi people could get justice. However, what Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are doing is against Balasaheb Thackeray’s vision. We also love Marathi. Bullying can be answered with bullying. In Maharashtra, there is Devendra Fadnavis’s government and those who do such bullying will be taught a lesson,” he said.The minister also underlined the contribution of non-Marathi people to Mumbai’s growth. “Major industrialists like Tata, Birla, Ambani and Adani have played a big role,” he said, adding that such incidents damage Mumbai’s status.“Around 60 per cent of people in Mumbai are non-Marathi. Of these, 80 per cent speak Marathi, but 20 per cent don’t. Hindi is our national language. Our government will not allow such bullying,” Athawale asserted.Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Republican Party of India (A) chief said, “It is my party’s view that Modi should remain the prime minister till 2029. What RSS says about retiring at 75, I don’t know. But under Modi’s leadership, the government has come back… we need Modi as PM till 2029.”On the controversy over revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, Athawale said, “There is a suspicion that Bangladeshi people may be living in Bihar with changed names. We should find out where they were born. If they were born in Bihar, there is no problem. But if they were born in Bangladesh and haven’t taken citizenship, they should be removed from the voters’ list.”On opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, Athawale said, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi can have his views. Anyone has the right to come to power in a democracy. The BJP was also once in opposition and came to power.”
