Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has distanced himself BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's "Patak patake marenge" comments over the ongoing Marathi language row, calling them “inappropriate” and warning that such statements could fuel unnecessary tension between communities.
“If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people," said Fadnavis speaking to reporters at Vidhan Bhavan.
The BJP leader stressed the significance of Maharashtra’s contribution to India’s development, both historically and economically. “The biggest contribution to the country’s GDP comes from Maharashtra. No one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the history and present of the country. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong,” he said.
Fadnavis also invoked the legacy of Maratha warriors, adding, “When invaders tried to attack our culture, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and the Marathas fought across the country. During the third battle of Panipat, Abdali was ready to seal a pact, but our Marathas did not give in.”
His response came after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who represents Godda in Jharkhand, made inflammatory remarks on social media following Raj Thackeray’s speech during an MNS rally in Mumbai.
Thackeray had instructed his party workers to “hit below the eardrum” anyone who refuses to speak Marathi in Mumbai, but cautioned them against recording such incidents.
Reacting to this, Dubey posted on X, “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.”
“Tumko patak patak ke maarenge (You will be thrashed again and again),” said Dubey, issuing a direct challenge to Raj Thackeray and daring him to confront Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu speakers beyond Maharashtra.
The Godda MP further escalated the row by accusing the Thackeray cousins, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray of playing “cheap politics” ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
“You people are surviving on our money,” he claimed, referring to industrial houses like Tata, Birla, and Reliance, which he asserted had roots outside Maharashtra. He went so far as to challenge the Thackerays to attack Hindi or Urdu speakers near Mahim Dargah to prove their “bravery”.
The remarks sparked outrage, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi condemning the rhetoric. “Who made him the gatekeeper of Hindi? Who made him the spokesperson of industrialists?” she asked in a post on X.
Chaturvedi also took aim at the BJP leadership, questioning, “Does @Dev\_Fadnavis ji agree with their party MP’s language and his disparaging comments about the hardworking people of the state?” She criticised comparisons made by other BJP leaders as well, particularly those likening Marathi Hindus to terrorists, calling them deeply offensive and inflammatory.
