Maharashtra’s minister for information technology and cultural affairs, Ashish Shelar on Monday evening called out party MP from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey’s comments on Marathis and people of Maharashtra.

“Maratha history and Marathi legacy are glorious. I want to make our stand clear. The Jharkhand MP can publicly voice his stand as per law, but there was no need to question the capabilities of Marathi speakers,” said Shelar. “The entire country knows the contribution of Marathi speaking people. A Marathi speaker made the first film in the country and another built the Navy."

Shelar, who also happens to be the chief of BJP’s Mumbai unit and the guardian minister for Mumbai suburban can ill-afford to take a soft stance in the language battle.

It is important for the BJP in Mumbai to appear to stand with the Marathi Manoos, in Mumbai and elsewhere in the state. Especially after the announcement by the Thackeray cousins, former chief minister Uddhav and Raj, that they would contest the yet-to-be announced Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls together.

Shiv Sena had held a near total chokehold on the country’s richest civic board with 227 wards till the year 2012, when it had 75 corporators, compared to the BJP’s 31. The BJP has since replaced the Congress as the major political force in the city of Mumbai.

In 2017, the BJP fell just two short of the Shiv Sena’s 84, pushing the Congress far behind. Elections to the civic body have been pending since 2022 and are likely to be held either late in 2025 or next year.

Allies for decades, the truncated Shiv Sena and the BJP draw their inspiration and votes from the same source.

The Devendra Fadnavis government’s now aborted decision to introduce Hindi in primary classes gave the out of favour MNS, a toehold in Maharashtra’s politics and also paved the way for the Thackeray cousins to reach an understanding after almost two decades.

According to the 2011 Census, Marathi was spoken by around 35.96 per cent of the population, while 22.98 per cent spoke Hindi, followed by 13.53 per cent Urdu speakers and 11.34 per cent Gujarati.

Thackerays have always banked on the Marathi speaking population, while the BJP can bank on the Hindi and Gujarati speaking voters.

Late on Sunday night, in Thane’s Mira Road, a sweet shop owner Babulal Chaudhary (48) was assaulted by MNS workers for not speaking in Marathi, adding to the list of language-linked violence in the state.

Tuesday morning, MNS workers staged a march against those condemning the MNS’ hooliganism in the name of language.

The Thane Police had not given permission to the MNS for the march and several party workers were bundled in police vans.

Caught in the tight-rope, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided on playing it safe and not ruffle the feathers with the BJP top brass in Delhi.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis said, "If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people."

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."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "Has he (Dubey) been authorised by the Hindi-speaking population of Mumbai to speak for them? The real representatives of this community should come forward and condemn his comments. Only then I will believe they are truly assimilated with Maharashtra.”

Raut also demanded accountability from the ruling leadership.

“If Eknath Shinde cannot speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah on this matter, he should resign. It is the responsibility of Fadnavis, Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to rein in Dubey,” he added.

Shelar also trained his guns on the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray for unleashing violence on non-Marathi speaking migrants, which has hit Mumbai suburbs and Pune in the last few weeks.

“In Pahalgam, people were killed on the basis of their religion. And here in Maharashtra, Hindus are being killed only because of their language. What is the difference between these two?” Shelar asked.