New Delhi/Mumbai, July 7, 2025 — A fresh political firestorm erupted on Monday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey lashed out at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray for his controversial remarks targeting non-Marathi speakers in Mumbai.
Without naming Thackeray directly, Dubey responded sharply to the MNS leader’s recent comments encouraging party workers to “hit below the eardrum” of anyone resisting Marathi in Mumbai, challenging him to step outside the state.
“Tumko patak patak ke maarenge” (You will be thrashed repeatedly), Dubey warned, addressing what he referred to as the “bahut bade boss” (very big boss). “If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then go and beat Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu speakers too. If you are truly fearless, come out of Maharashtra—come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. This anarchy won’t be tolerated.”
Dubey’s fiery statement came in the wake of Raj Thackeray’s address at a victory rally, where the MNS chief told party workers to enforce the use of Marathi in public dealings and warned that if someone refuses and “shows drama,” they should be struck—but no videos should be recorded. “Let the beaten person be the one to say he was beaten,” Raj Thackeray said.
The BJP MP didn’t stop there. He took aim at both Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, who recently appeared together on a public stage after two decades, calling their unity “cheap politics” aimed at the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
“You are demanding that everyone speak Marathi, but let me ask—whose bread are you eating?” Dubey said. “Tata, Birla, Reliance—these aren’t native to Maharashtra. Tata’s first factory was in Bihar. You people are surviving on our money,” he alleged.
Ratcheting up the rhetoric further, Dubey challenged the Thackeray cousins to act tough beyond safe political zones. “If you really have the guts, go and beat people in Mahim,” he said, referring to the diverse and densely populated Mumbai neighborhood known for its linguistic plurality.
The escalation comes amid renewed focus on linguistic identity politics in Maharashtra, reignited by MNS’s campaign demanding that all residents—regardless of origin—must speak Marathi in public spaces. The BJP, which has often walked a tightrope on the issue, appears to be pushing back more forcefully this time, especially with Lok Sabha elections concluded and attention shifting to civic polls in Mumbai.
As the political temperature rises, opposition parties accused the BJP and MNS alike of inciting tensions for electoral gain, while civic bodies and law enforcement urged restraint to maintain communal harmony in the state’s financial capital.
