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Pappu Yadav, Jan Adhikar Party chief, challenged MNS chief Raj Thackeray over anti-Bihari comments, calling them divisive. Yadav vowed to confront Thackeray in Mumbai.
Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav and Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. (PTI)
Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav on Saturday challenged the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, warning him that he’ll travel to Mumbai and take out all his arrogance in response to Thackeray’s comments against Bihari migrants.
While addressing the media in Bihar, Yadav criticised Raj Thackeray’s anti-migrant stance, calling it divisive and disrespectful.
“People from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have contributed immensely to the development of Mumbai and Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray cannot insult them with his hollow threats and arrogance. “Mumbai aakar saari hekdi nikal dunga,” Yadav declared.
This comes after Raj Thackeray called for prioritising Maharashtrians in local jobs and criticised the influx of North Indian migrants into Mumbai. Thackeray’s party, the MNS, has often been accused of stoking regional tensions and targeting migrant workers through its aggressive campaigns.
Responding to Thackeray’s statement, Pappu Yadav said that such statements damage the unity and integrity of India. “Mumbai belongs to the entire country. It is not anyone’s personal property. People from every corner of India work and live there. Raj Thackeray’s politics of hate will not be tolerated anymore,” he said.
He further appealed to the Maharashtrians to reject divisive politics and unite with fellow Indians, standing in solidarity beyond state boundaries.
The language row began after the Maharashtra government’s decision-later rolled back to make Hindi a mandatory third language in primary schools. The policy was met with strong resistance from key Marathi leaders like Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, who saw it as a threat to Marathi’s linguistic and cultural identity.
Pappu Yadav’s challenge comes at a time when Raj and Uddhav Thackeray, the estranged cousins, reunited in Mumbai on Saturday for a “mega victory gathering” to celebrate the rollback of the controversial Hindi language policy in primary schools.
The Maharashtra education department had earlier proposed to make Hindi a compulsory third language for Classes 1 to 5 in both Marathi and English medium schools, as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. A government resolution to this effect was issued on April 17.
Amid opposition pressure, the policy was modified on June 18, stating Hindi would be the default third language, with students allowed to choose another Indian language if at least 20 students in a class requested it. A review committee was then formed on June 24 to reassess the decision.
Following widespread criticism from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance—including Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, and NCP (SP)—the state government rescinded both resolutions last Sunday.
- Location :
Bihar, India, India
- First Published:
