Won't tolerate insult of Marathi people and attacks on them henceforth: MNS leader

Thane, Jan 3 (PTI) In the wake of a spat between a Marathi-speaking man and a fruit vendor over language in Thane, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Friday warned that the incidents of insult of Marathi people and attacks on them will not be tolerated henceforth.

In the incident that occurred on Thursday in Thane's Mumbra area, a man asked a vendor the price of a fruit in Marathi, but the latter said he did not understand the language and the man should speak to him in Hindi. This led to a heated exchange, drawing a crowd.

Later, a crowd supporting the fruit vendor went to the police station shouting slogans, demanding stringent action against the Marathi man.

Talking to reporters on Friday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, Avinash Jadhav, said, "In the recent past, the incidents of insult of Marathi 'manoos' and attacks on them have been on the rise. Before Mumbra, such incidents happened in Kalyan, Thane, Virar and Mumbai. But the MNS will not tolerate such incidents now." "Who has given them this courage? The chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis), who is also a Marathi manoos, should crush such forces right away," Jadhav said.

Any further attempts will be dealt with sternly by the MNS, he warned.

"We will go to the homes of those who indulge in such acts, and crush them. Let the police handle the law and order arising out of it. But we will not tolerate such things henceforth," he said. PTI COR NP