Mumbai: Nitesh Rane, Maharashtra Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, issued a strong rebuke to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) following the viral video of a shopkeeper being assaulted for allegedly not speaking Marathi. In his sharp remarks, Rane questioned whether the MNS dared to similarly confront members of the Muslim community who do not speak the language.
“Do those with beards and skull caps speak Marathi? Why don’t the MNS workers go to places like Null Bazaar or Mohammad Ali Road and ask them to speak Marathi?” Rane said. “Try confronting them there- then you’ll see where the real response comes from.”
He further challenged, “Why don’t they dare to speak to those people or assault them like they do with poor Hindus? Do Aamir Khan or Javed Akhtar speak Marathi? Why not force them, too?”
Speaking to reporters, Rane said, “Do those with beards and circular caps speak Marathi? Do they speak pure Marathi?” He further added, “They don’t dare to go into Muslim areas and confront those people. Do lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor Aamir Khan speak Marathi? Why not force them to speak the language?”
He accused the MNS of selectively targeting poor Hindus and warned that if such attacks continue, the Mahayuti government’s “third eye” would be opened, implying a strong response aligned with the coalition’s Hindutva stance.
BJP leader Nitesh Rane has stirred controversy with his fiery remarks over the recent assault of a shopkeeper by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers for not speaking Marathi. Accusing the MNS of targeting only poor Hindus, Rane questioned why similar actions were not taken in Muslim-dominated areas.
Rane warned that any aggression toward Hindus would provoke a strong reaction from the Mahayuti government. “This government stands by Hindus. If anyone tries to bully them, our ‘third eye’ will open. We will not tolerate attacks on poor Hindus in the name of language.”
The minister’s comments were triggered by a recent incident in Mumbai’s Mira Road, where a group of MNS workers allegedly assaulted a shopkeeper inside his sweet shop for not speaking Marathi. The video, which went viral on social media, shows the men slapping and abusing the shopkeeper after he remarked that multiple languages are spoken in Maharashtra.
Following the incident, police registered an FIR against seven MNS workers under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions for promoting enmity and public disorder. The investigation is ongoing.
MNS’s Mira-Bhayander district president Santosh Rane defended the group’s actions, asserting that any insult to the Marathi language would be met with a strong response from the party.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also weighed in, expressing that while Marathi should not be disrespected, no language should be forcibly imposed- a stance that appeared to indirectly support MNS’s core sentiment but condemned violent enforcement.
The MNS has long been opposed to the Centre’s three-language policy and has consistently emphasised the primacy of Marathi in the state. However, recurring incidents involving violence or intimidation by MNS workers against non-Marathi speakers have drawn criticism and raised concerns about law and order and communal harmony.
