‘If You Can’t Understand Marathi, You’ll Get A Slap’: Raj Thackeray’s Warning

Fuelling the simmering language row in Maharashtra, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has issued a direct threat, stating that those who don’t understand Marathi will get “a tight slap.”
Speaking at a rally in Mumbai’s Mira-Bhayandar, where his party workers recently assaulted a shop owner for not speaking the language, Thackeray defended the act of violence and warned of further consequences for those who “fool around.”
“Now if you can’t understand Marathi even when it’s spoken directly into your ear, you’ll get a slap below it. People create a fuss for no reason,” Thackeray said.
Justifying the recent assault, he added, “Whatever happened to that person was because of his attitude.” He also taunted local traders who had protested the violence by shutting their shops. “How long will you keep your shop shut? If we stop buying, then what?” he asked, before adding, “But if you fool around here, a slap is guaranteed.”
The MNS chief also responded to a recent remark by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who had reportedly threatened to beat up Maharashtrians. “A BJP MP said, ‘Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge’…You come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge (We will drown you in the Mumbai sea),” Thackeray retorted.
The provocative speech comes amidst a series of recent incidents where MNS workers have been accused of verbal and physical assaults over the language issue. In multiple viral videos, party workers have been seen confronting shopkeepers, auto drivers, and bank employees.
In one recent incident in Pune, a bank manager was slapped for addressing customers in Hindi. In another case in Mumbai, a medical shop employee was beaten and forced to apologise for a WhatsApp status that was deemed disrespectful to the Marathi language. These incidents have drawn widespread criticism and calls for legal action.