Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
Credit: PTI Photos
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis distanced himself from BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s "patak patak ke maarenge" comment saying that it was inappropriate and wrong.
The BJP MP had made the remark over the political row over Marathi-Hindi involving the Thackeray cousins.
“If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation(s) and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people,” Fadnavis told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex.
According to him, the biggest contribution to the country's GDP comes from Maharashtra. “No one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the past and in the present. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong,” the CM said.
Dubey, in his reaction to the attack on migrants in Mumbai’s suburbs, had said: “You people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have? Tatas, Birlas and Ambanis do business here. If you are brave enough to beat Hindi speakers, then you should also have guts to hit those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu. If you are such a ‘big boss’, step out of Maharashtra and come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, or Tamil Nadu….’tumko patak patak ke maarenge’.”
Meanwhile, hitting out at Dubey, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said: “Who is he? He is a dalal (middleman) known for taking commissions and acting on behalf of certain industrialists. Some of his activities take place in Mumbai as well. He extorts money from industrialists. He holds a fake degree from Delhi University, which he submitted to the Parliament. He does 'commissionkhori' and 'dalali'.”
Raut said that the CM and the Cabinet are quiet over the issue. “What kind of CM are you? You don’t have the right to take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Balasaheb Thackeray. Shinde, who considers himself the leader of the duplicate Shiv Sena, should cut off his beard. He must resign. He should go and ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about what is happening in Maharashtra,” he said.