📰 MNS Removes Gujarati Hotel Signs, Issues Marathi-Only Warning on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway
Mumbai: Raj Thackeray’s party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), is once again in the spotlight for targeting Hindi-speaking communities under the guise of promoting the Marathi language. In a recent development, MNS activists issued stern warnings to restaurants and hotels along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, demanding that all signboards and menu cards be displayed in Marathi. Those who fail to comply have been threatened with dire consequences.
As part of this campaign, MNS workers reportedly damaged several boards written in Hindi, Gujarati, and English. The group specifically visited establishments using Gujarati signage, removing or vandalizing non-Marathi boards as a form of protest.
Prashant Khambe, an MNS worker from Vasai, stated, “Party chief Raj Thackeray has made it clear—there will be no compromise on Marathi and Maharashtra.” Echoing the same sentiment, MNS leaders from Palghar and Thane, including Avinash Jadhav, warned that if businesses want to operate in Maharashtra, their signage must be in Marathi.
🔴 MLA’s Office Board Removed Amid Tension
The movement took a political turn earlier this week when MNS workers forcibly removed a Gujarati signboard from the office of Gujarat BJP MLA Virendra Singh Bahadur Singh Jadeja in Seawoods, Navi Mumbai. The action was carried out in the presence of police officers. MLA Jadeja represents the Rapar constituency in Gujarat. MNS had issued a final warning the previous week to remove the signboard, which was eventually taken down during the confrontation.
⚖️ Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Against Raj Thackeray
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declined to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against MNS chief Raj Thackeray over his speeches allegedly inciting language-based tensions in Maharashtra. The bench, comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice K.V. Viswanathan, refused to admit the plea, advising the petitioner to approach the Bombay High Court instead.