Latest news with #UddhavBalasahebThackeray
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
MNS workers now assault toilet attendant for not speaking in Marathi: ‘What will you do?' — viral video
Incidents of violence over language continue to make headlines in Maharashtra, with yet another man reportedly assaulted for refusing to speak Marathi. The latest case comes from Nanded, where workers allegedly linked to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) confronted and slapped a public toilet attendant after he refused to converse in Marathi. A video of the incident has surfaced online. It shows a Marathi-speaking man questioning a toilet attendant at the central bus stand in Nanded for charging women ₹ 5 to use the facility. The man, who was recording the exchange, insisted the attendant speak in Marathi. In the video, the attendant is heard responding, 'I won't speak in Marathi. What will you do?' According to reports, the man filming the conversation later lodged a complaint with the bus stand authorities and also sent the footage to local MNS workers. A group of MNS members then confronted the attendant, slapped him, and forced him to publicly apologise for refusing to use the local language. This incident adds to a growing list of similar attacks in the recent past, all allegedly linked to MNS's long-standing push for the use of Marathi in public spaces across the state. Earlier this month, a shopkeeper in Mumbai was caught on camera being assaulted for not speaking Marathi. In Palghar, an auto-rickshaw driver was publicly beaten over the same issue. On July 1, MNS workers were seen slapping a street food vendor for his refusal to speak the language. The Marathi language issue came into the spotlight earlier this month during protests by the MNS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), who claimed there was a 'Hindi imposition' in Maharashtra under the excuse of enforcing the three-language policy. The situation escalated in Thane when MNS workers slapped a shopkeeper several times after he questioned them about why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
'Apologise To Raj Thackeray': MNS Workers Assault Man For Not Speaking Marathi
Mumbai: Another man has been beaten up in Maharashtra by MNS workers for not speaking in Marathi and saying, "I will not speak in the language. What will you do?". A video which has gone viral shows a man confronting a worker at a public toilet in a bus stop in Nanded, alleging that women were being charged Rs 5 to use the facilities. As he begins shooting the video, the man asks the worker what his name is and the worker refuses to divulge it, asking whether the man thinks of himself as some big shot. The man tells the worker he will complain and is asked, in Hindi, to leave. This prompts the man to ask the worker to talk in Marathi and he replies, "What will you do if I don't? What will you do? Go." A woman next to the man also argues with the worker and the man shooting the video says he will show the worker what he can do. In another video, the man walks up to what appears to be the ticket office at the bus stop and asks the employees whether using the public toilet is not free for women. When the employees say it is, the man says he will show the video to (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) chief Raj Thackeray's people. "Whether it is free or not, whether he should speak in Marathi or not, the man will know tomorrow. He's charging Rs 5 from women," the man says. Assault The next video, from the day after, shows the worker surrounded in the public toilet by a few men, one of whom appears to punch him in the face. As another man tries to intervene and stop them, the men slap the worker three times, asking, "You are abusing women? Will you speak in Marathi or not? Do you know Marathi?" "You don't know Marathi? If you had said you don't know the language and that you were learning, would we be here?" one of the men says. As the worker falls at the man's feet and apologises, he is taken out of the toilet. The men, now wearing scarves with the MNS symbol and name, make the worker hold his ears and repeat after them in Marathi: "I apologise to the Marathi people and Raj Thackeray. I will not make such a mistake again." "You will learn Marathi, right? Learn it quickly," the worker is told by one of the men. Flare-Up The Marathi issue, amid protests by the MNS and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) over what they called "Hindi imposition" in Maharashtra in the guise of implementation of the three-language policy in the state, had flared up earlier this month when a shopkeeper was slapped multiple times by MNS workers in Thane for asking them why speaking in Marathi should be compulsory. A shopkeeper was also assaulted in Vikhroi a few days later. In a post on X last week, Raj Thackeray said he is proud of his "soldiers" for giving people a "befitting response", which stems from their "love" of the language. "When someone tries to drive a nail into the throat of the Marathi people, I feel proud that my soldiers of Maharashtra slap that person, not out of personal jealousy, rather for my language and my Marathi people," he wrote. Several others, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, have condemned the attacks and said resorting to violence over people not speaking Marathi is unacceptable.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi demands inquiry into ‘leak' of AAIB's report on Air India Ahmedabad plane crash
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday (July 15, 2025) wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, seeking a formal inquiry into how details of a preliminary report on the crash of Air India flight AI171 were allegedly leaked to the international media before it was officially released in India. For the sake of transparency with regard to the authorship of the preliminary report, Ms. Chaturvedi said the names of all members of the investigation panel should be made public, and the report should bear the signatures of each panel member. 'I write to you to express serious concerns regarding the manner in which the recent interim investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau [AAIB] was handled and disseminated, particularly in light of media reports surfacing in international publications before the report was officially made public in India,' Ms. Chaturvedi said, adding that it has serious implications for 'public safety, pilot morale, and India's global aviation standing'. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday released its preliminary report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. The Shiva Sena (UBT) MP said that one cannot be a mute spectator with regard to the narrative being built around the AI 171 crash and the interim report. 'It is deeply troubling that sensitive details of the AAIB report were available to foreign news agencies and published in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal before any official release in India. This raises urgent questions about how the contents of the report were accessed by foreign entities prior to their dissemination to the Indian public and concerned stakeholders,'she added. Ms. Chaturvedi claimed that the non-stop insinuations being made against the deceased pilots through implication and selective leaks of the interim report through the international media were 'absolutely reprehensible'. 'Such motivated speculation via broadcast, print and digital platforms shows a more sinister attempt to malign our pilots who aren't alive to put their case, even pilot associations have raised their objections,' she said.
Scroll.in
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Maharashtra: Auto driver assaulted for ‘anti-Marathi' remarks by persons linked to Uddhav Sena
An auto rickshaw driver was assaulted allegedly by a group of unidentified persons believed to be members of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Saturday for making 'anti-Marathi' remarks, PTI reported. The driver, a migrant worker living in the Virar area, had earlier been recorded in a purported video in which he allegedly refused to speak Marathi and made 'derogatory' comments about the language, Maharashtra and Marathi icons. The clip was circulated widely online. On Saturday, he was allegedly attacked near Virar railway station by a group that included several women. Another video, showing the assault, was also shared on social media. The attackers reportedly forced the man to publicly apologise to a resident and his sister, accusing him of misbehaving with her earlier, PTI reported. He was also asked to apologise to the state for 'insulting' it and its linguistic and cultural heritage. No case has been registered in the matter so far. An unidentified police official told PTI, 'We have seen the viral video and are verifying the facts, but as of now, no complaint has been received from either party.' Uday Jadhav, a leader from the Uddhav Sena who was present at the scene, told reporters that the party would not remain silent if anyone insulted the Marathi language or people. 'The driver had the audacity to speak ill of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos,' PTI quoted him as saying. 'He was taught a befitting lesson. We made him apologise to the people of the state and to those he had offended.' The incident took place over a week after seven unidentified persons, believed to be members of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, assaulted a shopkeeper in Thane district for not speaking in Marathi. On July 5, suspected workers of the party also vandalised the Mumbai office of entrepreneur Sushil Kedia, a day after he posted on social media that he had lived in the city for 30 years without learning Marathi 'properly'. The incidents took place amid an escalating row in Maharashtra, triggered by the state government's move to make Hindi a 'generally' taught third language for Class 1 to Class 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.
NDTV
20-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Uddhav Plans Party Dinner To Keep Flock Together Ahead Of Key Polls
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray is scheduled to host a dinner for party MPs and MLAs in Bandra on Friday, in what is perceived as a strategic move to keep the flock together ahead of the crucial elections for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai and civic bodies across the state. Several party leaders have quit and switched over to the Shiv Sena ahead of the local bodies poll in the state. The dinner at Taj Lands End Hotel, which will include party office bearers, also assumes significance amid speculation over a possible patch-up between Uddhav and his brother, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. Sources said Uddhav wants to take into confidence his public representatives and office bearers before making any proposal to the MNS for an alliance. A meeting of all district heads is also supposed to take place at Sena Bhavan during the day. While addressing the 59th foundation day of the Shiv Sena on Thursday, Uddhav attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Shiv Sena, saying: "What people want will happen. We will see how it is to be done. The BJP and Shinde Sena do not want Marathi parties to unite. If you try to finish the Thackeray brand, we will finish off the BJP." At a recent meeting at Matoshree, Uddhav had sought the opinion of all former corporators on a possible alliance with the MNS. He said he will not go ahead with the alliance without the former corporators' nod. Sources said all the former corporators supported the idea and said it was the right time to join hands with the MNS. More than 50% of the former corporators of undivided Shiv Sena, who won in the 2017 BMC polls, have already shifted loyalties to the Eknath Shinde camp. So, the meeting with the former corporators is seen as an attempt to avoid further defections.
