Devendra Fadnavis clarifies Nishikant Dubey's Marathi language comments

A day after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s controversial comments on the Marathi language issue sparked a massive row, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday (July 8) clarified that the comments were not aimed at the Marathi community but at certain organisations which Dubey thought started the controversy.

‘Not completely correct’

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis also distanced himself from Dubey’s comments stating that they were not “completely correct”.

"Whatever Nishikant Dubey has said, he has not said it for the common Marathi people, but for those organisations which have fuelled this controversy," said Fadnavis as quoted by news agency ANI.

In an apparent rebuttal to Dubey’s comment indicating that Maharashtra’s industrial prowess comes mainly from Industrialists from other states, Fadnavis said that no one can “deny or forget” Maharashtra’s contribution to the progress of the country adding that if someone does so, it would be completely wrong.

Also Read: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey dares Raj Thackeray over Marathi row

However, Dubey doubled down on his allegations against Raj Thackeray as he shared on X a purported screenshot of a WikiLeaks report on the assault on Bihari students in Maharashtra that sparked widespread protests in Bihar.

"This is the Wikileaks of 2007. If Raj Thackeray does not get public support, he puts goons forward, meaning thuggery is his sole purpose, which he does just before the Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections out of fear of losing," stated Dubey.

"My opposition is to Thackeray’s thuggery, and the limits of tolerance have been exhausted. The Maratha community is always respectable, the country belongs to all of us. Where I am an MP, Maratha Madhulimaye ji has been an MP three times in a row. We made a Maratha win the Lok Sabha against Indira Gandhi ji," added Dubey. He also urged Raj Thackeray to come to his senses.

Dubey’s dare to Raj Thackeray

Fadnavis’ clarification comes in the wake of Dubey’s controversial remarks, where he not only dared Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray to beat up people speaking in Urdu, Tamil and Telugu apart from Hindi speakers. He also challenged Raj Thackeray to come out of Maharashtra, adding he would then get repeatedly thrashed.

“What are you doing, whose bread are you eating? You people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have? We have all the mines in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. What mines do you have? All semiconductor refineries are in Gujarat,” said Dubey.

"If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu too. If you're such a 'boss', come out of Maharashtra, come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. 'Tumko patak patak ke maarenge,” he added.

Also Read: Why did Congress skip Thackeray cousins’ reunion?

‘Cheap politics’

Accusing Raj and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray of resorting to “cheap politics” ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Dubey, MP from Godda constituency in Jharkhand, had said if the Thackeray cousins have courage, they should go to Mahim and beat any Hindi or Urdu-speaking people in front of Mahim Dargah.

The controversy started after a video purportedly showing MNS workers beating up individuals for not speaking Marathi went viral.

Dubey's comment drew a strong retort from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who accused the BJP of having an “anti-Marathi” mindset seeking to divide Maharashtra and pushing an anti-Marathi narrative.

(With agency inputs)