‘Where were your warriors during Mumbai attacks’: 26/11 hero Praveen Teotia slams Raj Thackeray over Hindi-Marathi row

Praveen Kumar Teotia

Praveen Kumar Teotia, a former MARCOS commando who fought terrorists during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, has strongly criticised Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray amid the escalating Hindi-Marathi language debate in the state. Teotia, who commanded his team during the Taj Hotel evacuation in the 26/11 attacks, sustained four bullet injuries in the operation, according to a HT report.

The decorated veteran from Uttar Pradesh played a key role in rescuing over 150 people during the Taj Hotel siege, took to social media to challenge Thackeray’s rhetoric. Sharing a photo of himself in commando gear with "UP" marked on his bulletproof vest, he wrote: “I saved Mumbai on 26/11. I bleed for Maharashtra. I'm from UP. I saved the Taj Hotel. Where were Raj Thackeray's so-called warriors Don’t divide the nation. Smiles don’t require any language.”

His remarks came after Raj Thackeray, while addressing a rally alongside Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, made controversial statements about enforcing Marathi. “Be it a Gujarati or anyone else here, they must know Marathi, but there is no need to beat people for that... Yet, if someone does some drama, you must hit them below their eardrums,” Raj said. He added, “If you beat someone, don’t make a video of the incident.”

Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray defended his cousin’s stance, declaring, “Yes, we are goons; if we have to be goons to get justice, we will do goondagiri.”

The comments followed recent incidents where MNS workers allegedly assaulted a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi. The incident occurred in Thane's Bhayander where MNS supporters, identifiable by their party scarves,  slapped the shopkeeper repeatedly after he answered "all languages" when asked which language is spoken in Maharashtra. The victim had been speaking in Hindi when confronted, PTI reported.

Speaking to ANI, Teotia pointed out that during the 26/11 attacks, many of those who risked their lives, including army personnel, were from states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. “When the 26/11 terrorist attack happened, their (MNS) so-called warriors hid and could not be found anywhere. He (Raj Thackeray) himself, along with Uddhav Thackeray and his family, could also not be found,” he said.

Teotia urged leaders to stop politicising language. “Separate politics from language. We take pride in Marathi, but people shouldn’t politicise it. If you want to do politics, focus on developmental work and jobs. Raj Thackeray and MNS have not done any developmental work yet,” he added.