Union Minister Chirag Paswan strongly condemned the incident, reacting to a viral video of a shop owner allegedly not talking in Marathi in Thane district of Maharashtra.
Speaking to reporters in Vaishali, Bihar on Friday, Paswan said, “It is beyond my comprehension how many partitions will be created among Indians – sometimes in the name of the region, sometimes in the name of language, religion or caste.”
Advocating proud of his mother tongue, the minister urged sensitivity and mutual respect. “I support the idea that your mother tongue should be your pride, but there should be so much sensitivity in it that if no one understands it from outside, it does not mean that we become so intolerant and start resorting to violence.”
Highlighting the multicultural ethos of India, Paswan said, “There are various languages and cultures from north to south, from east to west. Unity in diversity has always been our identity.”
He also accused some political leaders of promoting the divisive agenda for personal benefits. He said, “But some leaders are involved in such divisive politics to fulfill their ambitions and I condemn it.”
The incident in Thane has caused widespread anger on social media. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday warned of strict legal action against those who took “hooliganism” in the name of Marathi. He said that the Mahayuti government will not tolerate violence against common people.
Fadnavis told reporters, “It is not wrong to proud of Marathi language in Maharashtra, but if someone goes on a language basis, we will not tolerate it.” If someone beats people on the basis of language, it will not be tolerated. The police have taken action by registering an FIR on the incident and if someone makes such a language dispute in the future, legal action will be taken.
