BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s remark — “you people are surviving on our money” — in response to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s ‘slapgate’ jibe has sparked controversy. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought to defuse the situation, stating, “What he said is not right”.
“If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general,” Fadnavis told media persons in response to a query on the issue.
“However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation confuses the minds of people,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister added.
Dubey, who represents the Godda constituency of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha, sparked a row while responding to the MNS chief’s remarks following an incident of assault, wherein MNS workers thrashed a shop owner for refusing to speak Marathi.
Commenting on the incident, Thackeray asked party workers to beat those who refuse to speak Marathi but cautioned them against recording such acts.
“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,” Dubey said, reacting to the call of the MNS leader.
“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 further said.
Meanwhile, Fadnavis also tried to balance Dubey’s statement, saying the contribution of Maharashtra and its people to India’s growth is immense and cannot be brushed away.
“Maharashtra makes the biggest contribution to the country’s GDP. No one can deny the role of Maharashtra and the Marathi people in the country’s history and present. If someone does, I believe it is wrong,” he said while addressing the media on Tuesday.
“When invaders tried to attack our culture, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, and the Marathas fought across the country. During the third battle of Panipat, Abdali was ready to seal a pact, but our Marathas did not give in,” he added.
Similarly, Mumbai BJP president and Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar said, “The MP from Jharkhand must definitely present his argument that is within the law, but should not question the achievements and work of Marathi people. Marathi people do not live on anyone’s pie.”
“Maharashtra is a testimony to the prowess of Marathi people all over the world. Marathi people’s contribution to the GDP is quite substantial,” he said.
“If the MP from Jharkhand does not know what the contribution of Marathi people is to the country’s GDP, we will send him information about it,” Shelar said.
On Monday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray hit back at Dubey, calling him a “lakadbagha” (hyena) over his remarks amid an ongoing language row in the state.
Uddhav accused the BJP MP of trying to disturb social harmony by dividing people and alleged that his party was also trying to gain political mileage through a “divide and rule” policy.