Raj Thackeray's warning to non-Marathi speakers stirs Maharashtra's political pot

MNS chief Raj Thackeray (File)

There have been three instances over the last few days where workers belonging to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have roughed up non-Maharashtrian citizens in the state for not speaking Marathi.

The violent incidents follow Raj Thackeray's return to the Marathi issue, which he highlighted during his annual Gudi Padwa rally at Shivaji Park.

At the Gudi Padwa rally, the MNS chief warned that those who do not speak Marathi in Maharashtra would get a "slap on their face".

He instructed MNS workers to visit banks and other establishments to check whether Marathi was being used.

Following his "orders", MNS workers, in groups of six to seven, have been visiting housing societies, banks and malls to "enforce" Marathi usage. If anyone is unable to communicate in Marathi and argues with the group, they are beaten up.

A security guard of a housing society in Mumbai and a bank employee in Lonavala were roughed up recently. The men were coerced into apologizing in front of cameras and promising that they would learn Marathi.

Such tactics by the MNS are not surprising at a time when the party is struggling to survive in Maharashtra politics.

Currently, there is not a single MP, MLA, or corporator from the MNS. Through these violent acts based on linguistic sentiments, the MNS hopes to create a buzz about itself before the BMC polls scheduled for later this year.

The push also comes at a time when both factions of the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray, are no longer emphasizing the "Marathi cause". The MNS is sensing an opportunity to fill that space. The party tasted some success in 2009 when it contested the assembly elections in the backdrop of anti-North Indian riots.

In 2008, when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the CM from Congress, it was alleged that his government deliberately went soft on the rampaging MNS workers, as the MNS proved to be a tool for dividing the traditional Marathi vote base of the Shiv Sena. The Congress-NCP alliance successfully returned to power as MNS candidates led to the defeat of Shiv Sena candidates in many constituencies.

Some political analysts suggest that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis may be employing a similar strategy by maintaining a subdued response to the issue.

A resurgent MNS is advantageous to the BJP and detrimental to the prospects of not only Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena but also the faction led by Eknath Shinde. If the BJP contests the civic body polls alone, the division of votes caused by MNS candidates could benefit the BJP.

Raj Thackeray had announced unconditional support for BJP in the Lok Sabha elections last year. Before the assembly elections, the MNS chief created a buzz by predicting that Fadnavis would become the next CM.

Fadnavis even tried to convince Eknath Shinde to vacate the Mahim Assembly constituency for Raj Thackeray's son, Amit. However, local leader Sada Sarvankar remained adamant about contesting from the seat.

So far, Fadnavis has issued a mild statement on the issue, saying that there is nothing wrong with demanding the usage of Marathi in Maharashtra but that the law will take its own course against the MNS workers who are on a slapping spree against non-Marathi speakers.