Mumbai: “Taking a dip in Ganga will not wash away sins. The stain of betraying Maharashtra will remain.” With these words, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray sharply criticised Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during the Marathi Language Day event at Birla Matoshree Auditorium on Thursday.
Addressing repeated accusations that he had abandoned Hindutva, Thackeray began his speech with the phrase, “Garv se kaho hum hindu hai” He emphasised that the Shiv Sena was founded for the welfare of the Marathi people, but at the same time, taking pride in the Marathi language should not come at the cost of disrespecting other languages.
During his speech, he also made a special mention of two Muslim individuals, acknowledging their contributions. “During the movement for a unified Maharashtra, thousands of Marathi people protested in Delhi. Leading these demonstrations was a young poet, Shahir Amar Shaikh, who often visited our home,” Thackeray said.
The Sena leader also mentioned that at the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Shamima Akhtar, a Kashmiri Muslim girl, sang Maharashtra’s state song, “Garja Maharashtra Maza.”
“When she sang this song in front of those who chant ‘Katenge Toh Batenge’, they must have started questioning what would happen to their politics,” he said.
“Performing religious rituals does not define values; being a good citizen does,” Thackeray emphasised. “I respect the Ganga jal that was given to me. But what is the use of taking a dip in the Ganga there and then accepting ‘50 kokhe’ here? No matter how many times you take a dip, betrayal of Maharashtra won’t wash away your sins,” he said.
While referring to the Marathi Literary Conference, Thackeray highlighted the remarks made by its president, Tara Bhavalkar, who indirectly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thackeray echoed her words, saying, “How can we trust someone who claims to be non-biological? There should be a nationwide discussion on this.”
He then shifted his focus, stating, “Instead of discussing such things, unwanted topics are being debated,” and avoided commenting further on the controversial subject of Deputy Speaker Nilam Gorhe.
The Sena leader stated that, while standing with the Marathi people of Mumbai, no injustice should be done to other languages. “When I was the chief minister, I made it mandatory to use Marathi in the state. We will speak Marathi in Maharashtra. The law I passed required Marathi signboards on shops. But how did someone have the courage to challenge this law in court?”
He added, “We are Hindus, but we are also Marathi. What we decide becomes the law, and that’s how things work.”
Thackeray clarified, “I am not against the Gujarati community. But those two [central leaders of BJP] want to finish Marathi and Maharashtra, rob Mumbai, move industries outside, and put a begging bowl in the hands of Marathi people. But that bowl will be thrown back in your face with a Marathi man standing before you.”
He also criticized those who were reluctant to grant Marathi the status of a classical language, stating, “How much hesitation was there to give Marathi classical language status? Who are you to decide this? The language of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was Marathi. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have seen Delhi.”
