Will beat you: MNS chief's son warns auto drivers protesting against Marathi mandate

Tensions flared in Bhayandar East after MNS workers disrupted a meeting over the Marathi mandate for drivers, triggering a standoff with police intervention.

In Short

• Amit Thackeray backed the mandate, warning against aggressive strikes
• He urged peaceful protests and threatened retaliation if attacked
• Police detained MNS activists after meeting disruption

Tensions escalated in Maharashtra's Mira Bhayandar after Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers staged a fierce protest during a meeting led by an advocate, Gunaratna Sadavarte, over the Marathi-language mandate for auto drivers.

The confrontation took place when Sadavarte was addressing officials of an auto-rickshaw union regarding driver grievances. The situation intensified amid a sharp warning from MNS leader Amit Thackeray, who backed the government’s mandate requiring Marathi proficiency for taxi and rickshaw drivers.

Thackeray strongly defended the move, calling it essential for preserving regional identity. He dismissed the threat of strikes by non-Marathi-speaking drivers, saying, “To those threatening to strike: go ahead, it makes no difference.”

However, he issued a stern warning against any aggressive protests. “Conduct your strike peacefully. If anyone attempts an aggressive protest or dares to physically confront our Marathi rickshaw drivers, we will retaliate and beat you on the streets,” he said.

Thackeray also asserted that local Marathi drivers were ready to work extra hours to prevent inconvenience to the public and would not tolerate what he described as the “arrogance” of those refusing to learn the local language.

Echoing this stance, MNS workers disrupted Sadavarte’s meeting with loud sloganeering, leading to a heated standoff at the venue. Police intervened promptly to prevent a breakdown of law and order and detained several MNS activists to disperse the crowd.

Amid the escalating row, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, speaking to the news agency ANI, supported the mandate and questioned the opposition to it. “What is wrong if Marathi is made mandatory in Maharashtra? Is this a matter of discussion? If a law has been made, then everyone must follow it. If you are protesting against this, then you are not respecting the language and the state which is giving you employment,” he said.

At the same time, signs of an internal rift within the Shiv Sena emerged, with former MP Sanjay Nirupam urging a rethink on the mandatory Marathi policy for drivers.

- Ends