Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 24 : Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC on Friday lashed out at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray for his "fitting reply on the street" remark, saying that rickshaw drivers should be asked to speak Marathi in peaceful ways.
Backing the recent rules by the Maharashtra government making Marathi compulsory for rickshaw drivers from May 1, Shaina NC asked Amit Thackeray not to resort to "Dadagiri" politics.
The Shiv Sena leader told ANI, "Marathi language, Marathi identity, and Marathi pride are paramount for us. Every auto rickshaw driver or taxi driver must speak Marathi. This is already espoused in the Motor Vehicles Act. I don't understand why Amit Thackeray, who is a Gen Z youth leader, is trying to make it about 'Dadagiri' politics. This is not about you going and beating people. This is about you ensuring that people only do what is right, which is to speak Marathi. And that can be done in peaceful ways, too. You don't need to take law and order into your hands, Amit Thackeray."
This comes after Amit Thackeray, on Thursday, warned rickshaw drivers who announced a strike against "laying hands" on Marathi-speaking rickshaw drivers.
"Those rickshaw drivers who are thinking of going on strike against the imposition of the Marathi language should go ahead and strike freely. But if they obstruct Marathi rickshaw drivers or lay hands on them under the guise of the strike, they will be given a fitting reply right there on the street," the MNS leader told reporters.
Addressing reporters, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande also said that the party will "teach them a lesson" if people refuse to learn Marathi.
Deshpande said, "If you are staying in Maharashtra, if you are staying in Karnataka, if you are staying in Tamil Nadu, if you are staying in Gujarat, you have to respect the local language. And it is expected that when you are doing business in these states, you are expected to learn the local language. If you are showing an attitude, saying that we will not learn our language, do whatever you want, we will teach them a lesson, and the lesson will be in Marathi."
MNS workers, in the past, have resorted to violence against non-Marathi-speaking individuals. The party workers have invited criticism and arrests for allegedly beating shopkeepers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for not speaking in Marathi.
Meanwhile, the State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik had announced that the Marathi language will be mandatory for driving rickshaws in the state, with checking of documents and language skills from May 1.