Kalyan row: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says Marathi pride is paramount

CM Devendra Fadnavis addresses the media outside Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur. File pic/PTI

The Marathi versus non-Marathi issue has gained momentum in the state legislature in the wake of violence against a Marathi family in Kalyan. The Opposition demanded to know whether sons of the soil were safe in their own state, and what the government proposed to do with those who hired goons to beat the helpless family.

Making a statement on the issue, CM Devendra Fadnavis said Mumbai belonged to the Marathi people, and his government would not let anyone harm locals. The matter came up in the Upper House when Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, his party colleague Sachin Ahir and NCP-SP's Shashikant Shinde raised it aggressively. Fadnavis said the government had taken serious note of the matter and instructed that the prime accused's employment with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) be suspended.

The attack

According to information given to the House, a resident of Ajmera Heights in Kalyan's Yogidham, Akhilesh Shukla, had hired goons to attack the members of the Deshmukh family, which stayed in the same building. On December 18, the Deshmukhs were beaten with steel rods. The attack was recorded live. The matter became serious when the footage went viral. The police booked Shukla but delayed arresting him. As a result of the inaction, Shukla fled the city.

MNS president Raj Thackeray warned the state against delaying arrest. "Don't blame the MNS if the government doesn't arrest the accused," he said in a social media post. Fadnavis said the state would not rest before dealing with the arrogance of people (who treated locals badly). He said there was a need to know why local Marathis had to shift beyond Mumbai. "A Marathi family stays in a 300-sq-ft home. We need to know who stays in a bigger place. Migrants speak Marathi fluently and celebrate our traditions and festivals. Some do wrong things that affect our social fabric. I tell them very strongly that we will not let anyone treat locals badly," he said.

Preserving diversity

Fadnavis also talked about an unspoken practice in some residential complexes where non-vegetarians are not sold flats or allowed rentals. "Nobody has the right to deny homes... everyone has the right to their choice of food. Vegetarianism may be important to some communities. There should be no reason to hate them. But if someone uses this food choice to discriminate, we will not tolerate such discrimination if we receive any complaints in this regard," he added.

According to Fadnavis, the country had different traditions. "All communities eat fish in West Bengal. Some states have vegetarians. I think we should preserve our diversity. But at the same time, one should also remember that after the national pride, it is our regional pride (Marathi Asmita) that is dear to us. We will not tolerate any attempt to harm our regional pride," he said.