Raut slams Fadnavis, Shinde over BJP MP Dubey's remarks amid language row

Speaking to reporters, Raut said Shiv Sena chief Shinde and his supporters should remove the photographs of the late Bal Thackeray from their offices if they continued to ally with Dubey.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde, questioning their silence over BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks on the language issue in the state.

Speaking to reporters here, Raut said Shiv Sena chief Shinde and his supporters should remove the photographs of the late Bal Thackeray from their offices if they continued to ally with Dubey.

Amid an outrage over MNS workers thrashing a shopkeeper for not speaking Marathi, Dubey has courted controversy with his reported "patak patak ke marenge" (will thrash you) remarks targeting party chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray.

"To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger," the Godda MP posted on X.

Raut slammed Dubey for his remarks, alleging that he was a "middleman known for taking commissions and acting on behalf of certain industrialists".

"Some of his (Dubey's) 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.” Raut claimed.

The Rajya Sabha MP asserted that his party had always maintained cordial relations with the Hindi-speaking community in Mumbai.

“We never politicise these issues. We have always maintained dialogue and respect. If someone is not with us, we try to convince them. The Shiv Sena (UBT) never has and never will attack any Hindi-speaking individual. Dubey should understand that,” he said.

"Has he (Dubey) been authorised by the Hindi-speaking population of Mumbai to speak for them? The real representatives of this community should come forward and condemn his comments. Only then I will believe they are truly assimilated with Maharashtra,” he remarked.

Raut trained his guns on the state leadership, questioning the chief minister and his cabinet's silence on the issue.

“A BJP MP uses foul language about Maharashtra and Marathi people, and the chief minister and his cabinet remain silent. What kind of chief minister is this? You (Fadnavis) have no right to even take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he said.

Raut also demanded accountability from the ruling leadership.

“If Eknath Shinde cannot speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on this matter, he should resign. It is the responsibility of Fadnavis, Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to rein in Dubey,” he added.