Marathi politics: Now auto-rickshawala faces burn
An auto-rickshaw driver in Maharashtra’s Palghar was thrashed in public over his refusal to speak Marathi. Sena UBT Virar city chief, Uday Jadhav admitted that the group “responded in true Shiv Sena style".
An auto-rickshaw driver in Maharashtra’s Palghar was thrashed in public, allegedly by the supporters of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and his cousin Raj Thackeray’s MNS, over his refusal to speak Marathi.
A video of the auto-rickshaw driver, a migrant, went viral, showing him arguing with another migrant from Uttar Pradesh, Bhavesh Padolia, at Virar station. He said in the video that he would only speak Hindi and would rather speak in Bhojpuri when he was asked why he was not speaking in Marathi.
Against the backdrop of this incident, supporters of Shiv Sena UBT and MNS confronted the auto-rickshaw driver near the railway station. The video of the confrontation went viral on social media, showing the driver getting slapped by those men repeatedly. He was forced to apologise and chant slogans in Marathi.
Sena UBT Virar city chief, Uday Jadhav, who was reportedly present at the spot, admitted that the group “responded in true Shiv Sena style".
The latest incident comes as a series of such assaults have been reported lately in Maharashtra, as politics over language has found prominence in the political corridors.
Earlier on July 1, a street food vendor was slapped by the MNS workers for refusing to speak in Marathi. Seven workers were later held.
In Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb, seven MNS workers had slapped and threatened Babulal Chaudhary, a 48-year-old shopkeeper who runs the Jodhpur Sweet Shop. His staff member, Bagharam, who hails from Rajasthan, spoke to the MNS men in Hindi.
The MNS workers demanded that both Chaudhary and Bagharam speak in Marathi. However, Chaudhary reportedly pointed out that all languages are spoken in the state. The MNS workers allegedly assaulted and recorded a video of the incident.
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