Maharashtra Minister Compares Language-Based Attacks to Pahalgam Terror Incident

Amid the ongoing language row in Maharashtra, state minister Ashish Shelar drew a parallel with the gruesome April 22 terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed, and the recent attacks on people who could not speak Marathi in the state.

Ashish Shelar said that while in Pahalgam, people were killed on the basis of their religion; in Maharashtra, people were being attacked over linguistic differences, which he called disappointing, reported PTI. He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power in the state, would safeguard the Marathi pride while also protecting non-Marathi residents of the state. "Marathi is not a political issue for us," PTI quoted him as saying.

"In the Pahalgam terror attack, people were asked their religion before being shot. Here, people are being attacked based on their language. It is disappointing," he said.

He remarked, without naming anyone, that the state is observing certain leaders who appear to be "taking pleasure" in watching fellow Hindus being assaulted, according to the report. Shelar’s remarks come after a group of men wearing Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) scarves allegedly assaulted a shop owner for not speaking in Marathi earlier this week in Maharashtra’s Thane. The incident happened in the Bhayander area of Thane.

A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing the men visiting a shop to buy food. After the shop owner talked to them in Hindi, one of the men asked him, “Which language is spoken in the state?” to which he got an “all languages” reply, reported PTI.

Irked by this response, the man and his other companions slapped the shop owner multiple times, who later filed an FIR.

Union minister backs Ashish Shelar

Supporting Ashish Shelar’s comparison to the Pahalgam attack, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale told ANI, “Raj Thackeray’s men are doing in Mumbai what took place in Pahalgam — and this must be condemned.”

He also questioned Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, asking, “If members of the Hindu community are being targeted, will you remain silent? Are you not following Balasaheb’s ideology?”

Talking about the recent reunion of the Thackeray cousins – Uddhav and Raj – Athawale said that the former should have joined them (BJP-led Mahayuti alliance). “What benefit do you have from reuniting with Raj Thackeray? Uddhav should have come with us. He will not gain anything by siding with Raj Thackeray.”