Mumbai, Apr 8 (PTI) The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Tuesday took strong exception to a man approaching the Supreme Court seeking cancellation of its registration and said it will have to consider whether north Indians should be allowed to stay in the state.
Taking to X, the party’s spokesperson and its Mumbai president, Sandeep Deshpande, accused the BJP of trying to decimate regional parties.
Talking to reporters, Mumbai-based Sunil Shukla of the Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Sena said he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of MNS’s registration over the party’s recent agitations at banks and other establishments to enforce the use of Marathi.
He said the MNS was not just anti-North Indian but also anti-Hindu because bank officials attacked by MNS activists were also Hindus.
Following the development, Deshpande, in his post, wrote, “One odd bhaiyya (north Indian) has gone to court, seeking cancellation of the MNS’s registration as a political party. If north Indians are making attempts to finish a party of the Marathi manoos, (we) need to think whether they should be allowed to stay in Mumbai and Maharashtra.” “This is the work done by the BJP to finish off regional parties. They are doing to do it through their lackeys. We don’t fear them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam said there is nothing wrong with the MNS or any other party insisting that people use Marathi in Maharashtra.
However, attacks on innocent bank officers is wrong, he told reporters, demanding action against the party.
Last week, MNS president Raj Thackeray asked his party workers to cease their agitation to enforce the use of Marathi in banks and other establishments for the time being as “we have created enough awareness on the issue”.
Following the agitation, the United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that people claiming to be MNS activists have been visiting bank branches and intimidating staff.
At his Gudi Padwa rally on March 30, Thackeray reiterated his party’s stand of making Marathi mandatory for official purposes and warned that those who don’t speak the language deliberately would be “slapped”. PTI PR ARU
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