MNS president Raj Thackeray. File photo: PTI
Raj Thackeray slams Speaker: ‘This was a condolence motion for Marathi, not Asha Bhosle’
The MNS president called out the Speaker’s Marathi while reading the tribute for Asha Bhosle, saying the mistake left him with “anger and anguish”
Mumbai, Jun 23 (PTI) MNS president Raj Thackeray on Tuesday lambasted Maharashtra assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar for "butchering" Marathi while reading out a condolence motion for legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle in the House.
Narwekar referred to renowned singer-actor Deenanath Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle's father, as "Deendayal Mangeshkar", yet not a single MLA present in the House felt like objecting, the MNS chief said.
It was a "condolence motion for Marathi language" and not for Asha Bhosle, he said in a scathing Facebook post.
"The way Speaker Rahul Narwekar butchered Marathi while presenting the motion to condole Padma Vibhushan Asha Bhosle, seeing that he could not even read Marathi from a written text, one was filled with anger and anguish," Thackeray said.
It would have made little difference if Narwekar had delivered the motion in Swahili or Hebrew, because nobody could understand his Marathi, he said.
Marathi was being "stifled" due to the imposition of Hindi by the Centre and influx of migrants, and now it was happening through the state legislature which hurt the most, said Thackeray.
He also took a swipe at the ruling BJP, saying that its indiscriminate recruitment of leaders from other parties has left it with zero accomplishments. Narwekar, notably, was earlier with the Shiv Sena and also had a stint in the NCP.
The state legislature has had a distinguished tradition of Speakers such as Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar who later became the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Dattatraya Kashinath Kunte, Arun Gujarati, Balasaheb Bharde and more recently Dilip Walse Patil, Thackeray said.
Asha Bhosle (92), who ruled Bollywood music for over eight decades, died at a Mumbai hospital on April 12.
The House also condoled the demise of former members Anantrao Thopte, Vithalrao Dhote, Baliram Kotkar-Patil, Krishnarao Deshmukh, Patlya Mawaskar, Vasantrao Suryavanshi, Suresh Kumar Jethliya, Usha Devi Jagdale and Shankuntala Sharma. PTI
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