MNS chief Raj Thackeray cites bonhomie with Uddhav, urges MNS cadre to unite
Addressing party office-bearers in Mumbai during a meeting ahead of the local elections, Mr. Raj gave a message to remain united and underlined the issue of potential reunion with cousin and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT).
Reunion hopes
The Thackeray cousins have on several occasions had hinted at a reunion and graced several events after two decades of political separation. On July 5, on the issue of Hindi 'imposition', the cousins came together. Thereafter Mr. Raj attended the birthday eve of Mr. Uddhav followed by a 20-minute discussion, fuelling speculation on the alliance between the two ahead of the elections.
'Don't make videos'
Besides the language debate, Mr. Raj said, 'Do not beat anyone without reason, first explain. If he is ready to learn and speak Marathi, then teach him but if he shows arrogance, then take a harsh step so that he doesn't show such kind of attitude in future as well. Do not make videos or share them.'
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Hindustan Times
3 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
MNS leaders clash with PMC commissioner over protocol breach
The civic headquarters witnessed high drama on Wednesday after former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator, advocate Kishore Shinde, and a group of party workers allegedly stormed into an official meeting held by Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. MNS workers, including former corporator Kishore Shinde (red top) were taken away by police after causing a ruckus at the Pune Municipal Corporation HQ on Wednesday. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT PHOTO) The incident occurred at around 5 pm when Shinde and group entered unannounced the room where the commissioner was holding a meeting related to solid waste management. According to civic officials, the delegation had come to submit a letter regarding items missing from the commissioner's official bungalow. Reportedly, commissioner Ram asked them to leave saying in Hindi, 'Who are you? Please go out'. Shinde objected to the use of Hindi and demanded that the commissioner speak in Marathi, asserting his position as a former corporator and two-time assembly election candidate. This triggered a heated exchange, with Shinde alleging that the commissioner called them 'goons'. In protest, the MNS group staged a sit-in outside the office. The police were called to control the situation, and the protesters were later detained. Following the incident, the police have filed an FIR against the MNS leaders. A senior police official said that a case was filed late evening against Shinde and the others under section 132 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) which deals with assault or use of force against a public servant on duty. The police said that the section was applied due to the serious nature of the confrontation. Ram told the media, 'They entered without permission and disrupted an ongoing meeting. They insisted I speak in Marathi and threatened to throw me out of Maharashtra. This is a serious breach of protocol. I have lodged a police complaint.' Shinde, however, denied the allegations. 'We were waiting outside and simply asked about the meeting schedule. Instead, we were insulted, called goons, and our phones were snatched. We will not back down. Let the CCTV footage and mobile videos speak for themselves,' he said. Later, senior MNS leaders Babu Waghaskar, Ranjit Shirole and Sainath Babar met the commissioner to discuss the matter. Heavy police deployment at PMC office After the incident, there was heavy police deployment at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) office. Commissioner Ram contacted the police commissioner following which, the deputy commissioner of police, senior inspectors, and other officers rushed to the spot. All main gates of the PMC building were shut. Even the gates to the commissioner's office were closed due to which, many people got stuck inside. The situation normalised after around 7 pm. By late evening, several MNS workers were taken into custody. Frequent faceoffs: Political aggression inside PMC continues The latest incident involving MNS leader Kishor Shinde is part of a pattern of disruptive protests by political leaders within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), often under the pretext of raising public concerns. In February 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporators protested the city's garbage crisis by dumping waste on the table of then municipal commissioner Vikas Deshmukh. The BJP leaders, including Anil Shirole and Mukta Tilak, carried trash bags into the PMC building and staged a protest targeting the then Nationalist Congress Party/NCP-Congress administration. In September 2006, former MLA Deepak Paigude and 10 MNS workers barged into then commissioner Nitin Kareer's office, locked the doors from inside, and held him hostage for over two hours demanding written assurances on road repairs. The police arrested all participants after the protest ended. In February 2019, Congress corporator (now with the Shiv Sena Shinde faction) Ravindra Dhangekar allegedly got into a physical altercation with additional commissioner Rajendra Nimbalkar during a protest over water hyacinth in the city's lakes. The incident occurred inside the mayor's cabin, and a police case was filed. Dhangekar and others were remanded to one-day police custody. These recurring confrontations have raised concerns over growing political interference in civic functioning and the safety of administrative officers.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Taste of Life: Issues of Marathi and Marathisation ‘alive in letter and spirit'
Language serves as a crucial link to one's past, culture, and identity. It becomes a symbol of identity when different ethnic groups compete for power and resources. For Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the assimilation of English, Persian, and Urdu words into Marathi was a symbol of the domination of foreign powers and the defeat of Indians. (Hindustan Times Archives) Language domination is a 'symbolic domination' that enables certain social and ethnic groups to maintain control over others by establishing their cultural practices and views as the norm. It creates a hierarchy where dominant languages and forms of communication are valued more highly than others, leading to unequal access to resources and opportunities. Policies that promote a single universal language serve to protect power structures. The imposition of a single language can be identified as a form of internal colonialism that serves to support the state's ideology of a homogeneous culture. On July 18, 1937, a unique ceremony was organised at the Gokhale Smarak Mandir in Pune under the chairmanship of professor Wamanrao Kale. An educational institution cum publishing house named 'Maratha Centre' had been established in Pune in the late 1920s. It offered courses on subjects such as shorthand, typewriting, bookkeeping, and accountancy. It had also published some books on the same. A sizeable crowd had assembled that day to witness the changing of the English name of this organisation to 'Marathi Kendra' in Marathi. This was one of the first attempts to 'purify' Marathi in Maharashtra. Espousing the 'purification' of Marathi was the 'Marathikaran Mandal' that was founded barely a week ago by Prahlad Keshav Atre, the celebrated writer, educationist, and editor; and Kakasaheb Limaye, the editor of Marathi newspaper 'Dnyanaprakash'. Lakshmanrao Bhopatkar was the president of the Mandal while its members comprised dignitaries like professor SM Mate, and professor SK Kanetkar, popularly known as Poet Girish. The objective of the Mandal was to replace Urdu, Persian, and English words that had been assimilated into Marathi. Atre and Limaye, both once critics of the 'purification' of the Marathi movement, had changed their stance after spending a few days with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. 'Bhasha Shuddhi' (purification of language) was the most vociferous and effective movement set in motion by Savarkar. He used Marathi to further the cause of nationalism and ethnic and racial identity. On June 26, 1937, Savarkar addressed a large crowd at the Minerva Theatre in Pune, where he laid down his agenda for the 'purification' of Marathi. 'We are not against including words from other languages in Marathi, but we want to get rid of the words in foreign languages that have been imposed upon us, and replace them with words from our language or Sanskrit'. Around the same time, he endorsed Sanskritised Hindi as India's lingua franca. The movement for 'language purification' had gained momentum in Ireland and Turkey at that time and was used to endorse the same in Maharashtra. For Savarkar, the assimilation of English, Persian, and Urdu words into Marathi was a symbol of the domination of foreign powers and the defeat of Indians. If the country wanted to regain its past pride and glory, its languages had to be 'purified', he believed. He was present when Atre and others established the 'Marathikaran Mandal' in Pune. Allowing foreign words into Marathi was a mark of servitude, according to Atre. The task of weeding out those from Marathi could be done from the confines of one's home, and was essential in awakening the pride of our homeland and our language, he said while addressing the inaugural meeting of the Mandal. He also invoked Shridhar Venkatesh Ketkar, who, in 1924, had famously said, 'Marathi language is dead, its corpse lies before us'. The first mission of 'Marathikaran Mandal' was to change the names of shops and establishments in Pune to Marathi. Most of them were in English, even though many of the owners could not speak or understand the language and words like 'Saloon', 'Tailors', 'Hotel', and 'Restaurant' were used out of false pride, Atre said. Language defines the socio-economic class divide. The rapidly growing educated class in Maharashtra had normalised the use of English in personal communication and public exchanges, and discourses since the late nineteenth century. English was associated with the upper and upper-middle classes. It was seen as the carrier of western, liberal values and a symbol of sophistication. The promotion of the language of the ruling class can mask underlying racist ideologies. The dominance of English perpetuated social, political, and economic inequalities. But many, like Savarkar, opposed Persian and Urdu more than English. The 'Marathikaran Mandal' did not object to the use of certain words like college, doctor, advocate, professor, and of course, barrister, as Savarkar himself used it till his very end, but wanted the words guest house, boarding house, restaurant, hotel, and teahouse changed. Atre suggested using 'Poona Atithighar' instead of 'Poona Guest House' and 'Gundi Chahaghar' instead of 'Gundi Tea House'. He was referring to the teahouse owned by Subarao Devrao Gundi that was near the Jogeshwari Temple. He also wanted 'Maharashtra Hotel' changed to 'Maharashtra Faralghar'. Much before the 'Marathikaran Mandal', Narhar Ramchandra Parasnis had started the Marathisation campaign in Pune in 1931. He wrote a couple of articles in 'Dnyanprakash' and advocated Marathi equivalents for many English words that were in daily use. He proposed 'chaha bhavan' for a teahouse. According to him, Barve Brothers' Tea House was to be renamed as 'Barve Bandhu Chaha Bhavan'. The list contained 'bhojanalaya' or 'bhojangriha' for a boarding house; 'kshudhashantigriha', 'vishrantigriha', 'upahargriha' for refreshment houses and restaurants, and 'sheetapeyagriha' for a cold-drink house. Narayanrao Gundi's 'Rajbhuvan Tea House' and Giriappa Mijar's 'Santosh Bhuvan' were famous eateries in Pune at the time. Parasnis recommended using Rajbhuvan, Santoshbhuvan or Anandvilas as common nouns for all eateries. Atre thought that owners used English names and nouns to display grandeur. He lamented that most eateries in Pune were housed in tiny enclosures and were quite shabby, but still included 'hotel' in their names that misled customers. Shankarrao Navare, one of the members of the Mandal, knew someone who owned a 'khanaval'. The business of running a 'khanaval' was considered lowly, and hence, he was not able to get married. He then started calling himself a manager of a boarding house and was married within months. The representatives of the Mandal met the owners of several eateries and requested them to change their names. 'Dnyanaprakash' reported on October 3, 1937, that many owners conveyed the inability to do so since, according to them, English names were used because all the registration transactions by and with the local and Provincial governments were in English. Savarkar suggested that they could retain their original names, but add another board in Devnagari displaying the Marathi name. I do not know how many owners agreed to this. Using 'Saloon' or 'Tailors' was a way to bypass the notions of caste-based occupations and indicate that the proprietor did not belong to the caste with which the occupation was associated. Initiatives of 'Marathikaran Mandal' were mocked often. Atre and others issued clarifications time and again and asserted that they did not favour Sanskritised Marathi that was alien to many. 'We are not asking you to replace the work 'jilabi' with another Sanskrit or Marathi word', he said in one of his speeches. The issues of Marathi and Marathisation have stayed at the centre of Maharashtrian politics long after the demise of the 'Marathikaran Mandal'. Chinmay Damle is a research scientist and food enthusiast. He writes here on Pune's food culture. He can be contacted at
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Police start process of filing FIR after MNS workers' ruckus in PMC chief's office
Pune: Police were in the final leg of registering an FIR late Wednesday night, after a group of MNS workers created a ruckus in the office of Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and engaged in a heated exchange of words with him earlier in the day over some electrical appliances and other articles allegedly missing from his official bungalow in Model Colony before he moved in. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I) Krushikesh Rawale told TOI late Wednesday night, "We are in the process of registering a case of obstructing public servants from performing his/her duties against the troublemakers, following a complaint application submitted by the PMC (Pune Municipal Commission)." The MNS workers barged into the PMC commissioner's office around 4.30pm. A police team forcibly evicted them around 8.30 pm from the fourth-floor corridor in the PMC main building in Shivajinagar, leading to Ram's office. The incident led to the PMC Engineers' Association and other civic workers' unions calling for a stop-work agitation on Thursday. The officials condemned the MNS workers' behaviour. The alleged missing electrical appliances and other articles worth an estimated Rs20 lakh came to light after Ram moved into the bungalow two months ago, following the retirement of then civic chief. Ram said the matter was being investigated by the PMC's establishment department. MNS functionary Kishor Shinde led the group of party workers to the PMC commissioner's office. He also had a heated argument with Ram. "We went to meet the PMC commissioner and hand him over a memorandum regarding the issue. He spoke to us arrogantly and tried to shoo us away by saying that we were goons. He also made remarks about the Marathi language and our party. It led to heated arguments," said Shinde, who also sat outside the commissioner's cabin. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now PMC chief Ram refuted all the allegations. He told reporters, "I entertained all the visitors throughout the day. The MNS workers entered the meeting room without any prior notice when a meeting was on. Their body language and approach were unceremonious. I just replied to comments made by the leaders." As Shinde and his team continued with their agitation outside the PMC commissioner's cabin, the PMC security department and the police shut the entry-exit points of the civic body's head office as a precautionary measure. A group of MNS workers staged a protest outside the premises.
