Do those wearing skull caps speak the language?: Nitesh Rane slams assault on Hindu man for not speaking Marathi

Workers of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had thrashed a shop-keeper in Bhayandar area on the outskirts of the state capital for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi.

Mumbai: BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane has taken exception to MNS supporters allegedly beating up a 'Hindu man' for not speaking in Marathi, and asked if "those who wear skull caps" speak the language well.

He was reacting to a viral video showing workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena thrashing a shop-keeper in Bhayandar area on the outskirts of the state capital for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi.

"A Hindu man was beaten up....Why are poor Hindus being assaulted? If you have the courage, try going to Null Bazaar or Mohammad Ali Road and show your strength there," Rane said at the legislature complex on Thursday.

Null Bazaar or Mohammad Ali Road are predominantly Muslim localities in south Mumbai.

"Do those with beards and skull caps in Mohammad Ali Road (area) speak pure Marathi? Do Javed Akhtar or Aamir Khan speak Marathi? You do not have the courage to make them speak in Marathi, but you choose to assault poor Hindus instead," the minister further said.

The controversy over Hindi was an attempt to divide Hindus, Rane claimed.

"This is a conspiracy to turn the country into an Islamic state. Through love jihad, land jihad and other tactics, attempts are being made to reduce the number of Hindus in Mumbai. This violence is part of that strategy. Why do you not go to Malvani and assault people there? Do they speak in pure Marathi?" the BJP leader said.

The present government was elected by the Hindus and is rooted in Hindutva ideology, he said, adding, "If anyone dares to act in this manner, our government will also respond."

Elsewhere, Rane's cabinet colleague Pratap Sarnaik, a leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, also took a swipe at the MNS, saying it does not have a monopoly over Marathi.

"Does the MNS alone possess the right to fight for the Marathi language? If someone is taking law into their hands and targeting working-class individuals for political or financial gains, it will not be tolerated," Sarnaik said.

"We also take pride in being Marathi and in our Hindutva identity. We will not tolerate such incidents. Traders should not be threatened. I had asked the police to take action, and they have done so," he said.

The language issue came to the fore ahead of coming civic elections after the BJP-led government sought to introduce Hindi as a third language from Class 1 in state schools. The order triggered angry protests with allegations that Hindi was being imposed on students, and was eventually withdrawn.

While the video of the shopkeeper being assaulted in Bhayandar circulated on social media, another viral video showed two persons being made to apologise to a man in the presence of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rajan Vichare for allegedly assaulting him, and one of them was slapped by the “victim”.

"Speak in Marathi since you have hit a Marathi person,” a voice is heard telling one of the two men while he tries to say something to Vichare, a former MP from Thane.