CM Fadnavis clarifies Nishikant Dubey's remarks amid Hindi-Marathi row, says they were not aimed at "common Marathi people"

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 8 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday responded to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's controversial comments that sparked a row across the state, clarifying that the remarks were not aimed at the Marathi community but at certain organisations that, according to Dubey, triggered the controversy.
"Whatever Nishikant Dubey has said, he has not said it for the common Marathi people, but for those organisations which have fuelled this controversy," said Fadnavis.
However, the Chief Minister also distanced himself from the content of Dubey's remarks, saying, "I believe that Nishikant Dubey's statement was not completely correct."
He emphasised Maharashtra's contribution to India's development and said, "No one can deny or forget the contribution of Maharashtra in the progress of the country, and if someone does so, it would be completely wrong."
The clarification came in the wake of a political storm following Dubey's strong reaction to MNS chief Raj Thackeray's recent remarks. Raj had reportedly instructed his party workers to "beat but don't make a video," referring to individuals unwilling to speak in Marathi.
In response, Dubey had said, "What are you doing, whose bread are you eating? You people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have? We have all the mines in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. What mines do you have? All semiconductor refineries are in Gujarat."
Challenging the intent behind the aggression towards Hindi-speaking people, Dubey added, "If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu too. If you're such a 'boss', come out of Maharashtra--come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. 'Tumko patak patak ke maarenge'..."
He also said, "We all respect Marathi and the people of Maharashtra, who fought for India's independence. We respect all the freedom fighters -- Chhatrapati Shivaji, Tatya Tope, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale -- Maharashtra has contributed a lot to our freedom and independence."
According to Dubey, the row is being politically manufactured ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. "Raj and Uddhav are doing cheap politics. If they have courage, they should go to Mahim and beat any Hindi or Urdu-speaking people in front of Mahim Dargah," he said.
The row escalated after videos emerged showing MNS workers allegedly assaulting individuals for not speaking Marathi. In one incident, a food stall owner in Mira Road was allegedly attacked for refusing to speak in the state's official language, leading to widespread outrage.
Traders in Bhayander staged a protest demanding action against those responsible for the assault. In response, MNS planned a counter-protest, during which several party workers were detained by police, including MNS Thane district chief Avinash Jadhav.
On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also hit out at the BJP, accusing it of trying to divide Maharashtra and pushing an anti-Marathi narrative.
"...This is exactly the BJP's mentality, which is anti-Maharashtra. We have asked everyone not to react to such crazy and dirty minds because they want to create fear and instability in Maharashtra. These are the same people who want to create division in Maharashtra, and we will not tolerate this," he said.
He further alleged that this was part of a deliberate political strategy. "Divide and rule is part of the BJP's playbook... This is pure politics... This mentality of the BJP's MP represents the entire BJP; this does not represent North India," he said. (ANI)