‘Shall I Speak In Marathi?' PM Modi's Banter With Ujjwal Nikam Amid Language Debate
PM Modi personally informed Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam of his nomination to the Rajya Sabha in a candid call.
Moments after Ujjwal Nikam, the Special Public Prosecutor in 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, he revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally informed him about his nomination.
Nikam said PM Modi candidly called him to inform about his nomination to the upper house of the parliament and had started speaking in Marathi.
'Yesterday, PM Narendra Modi called me to inform about my nomination. He asked me if he should talk in Hindi or in Marathi. Both of us started laughing," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On being nominated to the Rajya Sabha, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam says, " I thank President Droupadi Murmu for nominating me… When I met PM Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha election campaigning, he expressed his faith in me. Yesterday, PM Narendra… pic.twitter.com/rcn4XvFdxR — ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2025
Nikam further said that the Prime Minister informed him about the president's decision to which he immediately acknowledged and agreed.
'He then spoke to me in Marathi and told me that the President wants to give me responsibility, after which he informed me about the President's decision. I immediately said yes. I thank the party leadership…" he added.
Language Row In Maharashtra
The interaction between the two came at a time when the Thackeray brothers– Shiv Sena (UBT's) Uddhav Thackeray and MNS' Raj Thackeray– have targeted the BJP-led state government for trying to 'impose' Hindi in Maharashtra and migrants for not speaking Marathi.
Earlier today, an auto-rickshaw driver in Maharashtra's Palghar was thrashed in public, allegedly by the supporters of Uddhav Sena and Raj Thackeray's MNS over his refusal to speak Marathi.
A video of the auto-rickshaw driver, a migrant, went viral, showing him arguing with another migrant from Uttar Pradesh, Bhavesh Padolia, at Virar station. He said in the video that he would only speak Hindi when he was asked why he was not speaking in Marathi.
Last week, MNS workers threw stones and vandalised the office of a businessman named Sushil Kedia, who had earlier issued an open dare to Raj Thackeray, stating that he would not be intimidated by MNS workers or be forced to learn Marathi under pressure.
Earlier this month, a shopkeeper in Mumbai's Mira Road was assaulted after he allegedly refused to speak in Marathi.
Nikam Nominated To Rajya Sabha
In a Gazette notification put out by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday, four members were nominated to the Upper House of the Parliament, which comprised people from varied backgrounds, including diplomacy, the legal fraternity, historian, and social worker.
Among the nominees is Ujjwal Nikam, one of India's most distinguished public prosecutors, best known for serving as the Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial and several other high-profile criminal cases.
The three other nominees include seasoned diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla, historian Dr Meenakshi Jain, and Kerala-based teacher and social worker C. Sadanandan Master.
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July 13, 2025, 17:11 IST
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