| MNS attacks Abu Azmi over oath-taking in Hindi |
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MNS attacks Abu Azmi over oath-taking in Hindi
TimePublished on Mon, Nov 09, 2009 at 13:42, Updated on Mon, Nov 09, 2009 at 17:35 in Politics section
New Delhi: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members on Monday attacked state Samajwadi Party chief Abu Azmi inside the legislature after he insisted on taking his oath as a legislator in Hindi.
The day`s proceedings started smoothly with several members taking oath, wary of a so-called `open letter` by MNS chief Raj Thackeray this morning urging all 288 legislators to take their oath in Marathi.
However, Azmi had declared that he would not be intimidated by such threats by "extra-constitutional authorities" and announced that he would take the oath in the national language Hindi.
"If they try to stop me, they could attract privilege proceedings," he declared, minutes before stepping inside the high-security Maharashtra legislature at Nariman Point.
When his turn came, Azmi got up to take the oath in Hindi. Even as he uttered the first few words, MNS members, all of them first-timers in the House, sprang up from their seats, shouted slogans and rushed towards Azmi.
As Azmi continued to take the the oath in Hindi, MNS`s Ramesh Banjle uprooted the microphone and threw it away.
Other MNS members came and surrounded Azmi, pushed and punched him and an MNS member, Ram Kadam, was seen on live television slapping and hitting him on the chest and shoulders.
Stunned by the goings-on, several members, including newly-appointed ministers like Congress` Rajendra Darda, Nationalist Congress Party`s Ajit Pawar, Peasants and Workers Party leader Meenakshi Patil, and several others, rushed to shield Azmi from the MNS members` wrath, but even they were pushed around.
The Protem Speaker Ganpatrao Deshmukh immediately adjourned the House for over half an hour.
However, the MNS members continued their aggressive stance, indulging in sloganeering, displaying banners and damaging the fittings inside the assembly.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who was present when the MNS members created the ruckus, termed the incident as "regretful" and urged that the legislators should be dealt with very strictly.
Defending the actions of the party legislators, MNS spokesperson Shirish Parker even argued that Hindi was not the national language of the country.
"One has to have respect for the Marathi language if he is living in the state. We have not come to the house to see our culture being insulted. Why couldn`t Azmi learn a line in Marathi in so many days?" asked Ram Kadam.
"I respect the Marathi language, but you saw that some MLAs were allowed to take their oath in English. If that is ok then why not Hindi? I will never accept the insult of my mother tongue. I don`t disrespect Marathi so why do these people disrespect my language? I will die for its honour. It doesn`t matter even if I`m alone in the Assembly on this"
— Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi to CNN-IBN
"They (MNS) cannot impose anything on anyone. I am fluent in English, Marathi and Hindi but I took my oath in English. MNS is trying to fool the public by raking up the Marathi issue"
— Congress MLA, Baba Siddique to CNN-IBN |
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