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BJP trying to create divide among people based on language: Uddhav Thackeray

BJP trying to create divide among people based on language: Uddhav Thackeray

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday alleged the BJP is trying to create a divide among people based on language and accused the ruling party of imposing a 'language emergency' in Maharashtra.
Talking to reporters here, the former Maharashtra chief minister insisted his party, a former BJP ally, was not opposed to Hindi, but asserted it was certainly against the language's imposition in the predominantly Marathi-speaking state.
"We don't oppose or hate any language, but that doesn't mean we will allow imposition of any language," he emphasised amid the ongoing controversy over teaching Hindi to students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools.
"The BJP is trying to create a divide among people based on language," he claimed.
He alleged the BJP's hidden agenda was to impose Hindi.
"The ruling party is imposing a language emergency," the former CM claimed.

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DMK, allies come hard at AIADMK over Murugan event
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He also liked the socialist idea of wealth distribution: ' Kamane wala khayega/ Lootne wala jayega/ Naya zamana aayega (The earner will eat/ The looter will go/ A new era will be ushered in)', and anti-caste stance: 'Dr Lohia ka armaan/ Brahman-Bhangi ek samaan (Dr Lohia's wish/ Brahman and Bhangi are the same)'. In 1966, Jain joined Delhi University as a student and Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) as a worker. That year, he also became the student union's vicepresident. The socialists would demonstrate against price-rise, police high-handedness, unemployment and for rights of vendors, daily wagers and workers. 'I got my bones broken several times. Going to jail was a regular affair,' he says nonchalantly. 'You Haven't Been Brought In Under IPC 107… But Under Misa' Prison beckoned again when Jain was nabbed by cops on the DU campus, days after Emergency was imposed. 'Someone must have informed the police,' he recalls. He was to spend the next 19 months in confinement. During his past trips to Tihar, the political activist had become familiar with the authorities. Now, everything had changed. The jailer was in a different mood, abusing detainees as they lined up. 'I wished him, but he shouted, 'Shut up. You haven't been brought in under IPC 107 or 151, but under Misa'.' Among other things, Misa (Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971) empowered govt to put anyone in indefinite preventive detention. During Emergency, the dreaded act was implemented with abandon. Many years later, RJD neta Lalu Prasad named his daughter Misa. Jain countered, 'I don't care about Misa. Our fight is with Indira Gandhi, not you.' The jailer didn't take kindly to his manner. 'He probably felt that letting the response pass would encourage insubordination. Political prisoners were put in Ward No. 2. 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Searing summers were tough, and harsh winters spent with two blankets. Food was prepared by undertrials. Dal, roti, chawal and sabji — twice a day, with tea in the morning — was passable. But absence of hygiene was a problem. The aluminium utensils were dipped in water, seldom washed. 'Sometimes, the plate would have residues of the previous meal,' he remembers, still vexed by the memory. And there was zero privacy. Detainees used an open latrine without cover. 'You were visible to everyone around,' he says. Letters, in and out, were always censored. But one of them brought good news. Jain, a postgraduate in history and Hindi, was on probation as a lecturer when arrested. 'I received my confirmation letter in jail,' he says. Spending time wasn't difficult, Jain says. He was used to prison, though not for such a long duration. 'I would exercise, do yoga, attend group meetings, chat with other political prisoners. There was a study circle too. I read Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj, Nehru's Discovery of India, Lohia's works, even Gone with the Wind,' Jain recollects. 'Sometimes, to raise optimism levels, we would shout slogans such as ' Dum hai kitna daman mein tere, dekh liya aur dekhenge/ Jagah hai kitna jail mein tere, dekh liya aur dekhenge . (We have seen your oppression/ We will see how many more you can fill in jail)'. Unlike some cadres of other parties, we were never desperate to leave jail. We felt alive,' he says. 'Emergency Was Over. But People Were Still Afraid' More than a year had elapsed when authorities shifted the 'troublemakers' to Haryana's Hissar jail. Socialist leader Raj Narain and later Jan Sangh's V K Malhotra, earlier in Ambala jail, were also there. 'The state was then ruled by Bansi Lal and conditions were stricter,' Jain recalls. He also remembers his washed clothes being taken away by others because they all looked the same. 'To ensure this did not happen, I chopped the sleeves of my kurta,' he says. 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Nitin Gadkari clears the air on reports of govt planning to impose toll tax on two-wheelers - ‘Spreading misleading...'
Nitin Gadkari clears the air on reports of govt planning to impose toll tax on two-wheelers - ‘Spreading misleading...'

Mint

time28 minutes ago

  • Mint

Nitin Gadkari clears the air on reports of govt planning to impose toll tax on two-wheelers - ‘Spreading misleading...'

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