Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday reacted to the controversial remarks of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, which raised controversy across the state, clarified that the comment was not for the Marathi community but for some organizations, who, according to Dubey, gave rise to controversy.
Fadnavis said, “Whatever Nishikant Dubey has said, he has not said for the common Marathi people, but for the organizations that have given air to this dispute.”
However, the Chief Minister also separated himself from Dubey’s remarks and said, “I believe Nishikant Dubey’s statement is not completely correct.”
Emphasizing Maharashtra’s contribution to India’s development, he said, “No one can deny or forget Maharashtra’s contribution to the progress of the country, and if anyone does so it will be completely wrong.”
This explanation has come after the political storm after Dubey’s sharp reaction to MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s recent comments. Raj had allegedly instructed his party workers to “assault, but do not make videos”, he was gesture to the individuals who did not speak in Marathi.
In response, Dubey had said, “What are you doing, whose bread are you eating?
Challenging the intention behind aggression towards Hindi -speaking people, Dubey said, “If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then beat Urdu, Tamil and Telugu speakers.
He also said, “We all respect the people of Marathi and Maharashtra, who fought for the independence of India. We all respect Chhatrapati Shivaji, Tatya Tope, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Maharashtra has contributed a lot in our freedom and independence.”
According to Dubey, this dispute is being coined politically before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. He said, “Raj and Uddhav are doing cheap politics. If they have courage, they should go to Mahim and beat any Hindi or Urdu speaking person in front of Mahim Dargah.”
The dispute increased further when some videos came out in which MNS workers were shown attacking people when Marathi did not speak. In an incident, a food stall owner was allegedly attacked in Meera Road because he refused to speak in the official language of the state, after which widespread anger spread.