Fadnavis hits back: full Amit Shah speech would have silenced critics

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on the Hindi language have stirred up Maharashtra politics. After the Thackeray faction and MNS made sharp comments on Shah's stance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a direct response to the critics. Fadnavis said that if Shah's full speech had been heard, such criticism would never have arisen. He said, "If Amit Shah's full speech had been heard, this criticism would not have happened at all. If they had heard his full speech, their faces would have gone black," meaning that hearing the full speech would have embarrassed the critics.

The controversy began after Amit Shah's remarks on Hindi at a Rajbhasha conference held in Navi Mumbai. Shah had said that Maharashtra is the country's largest multilingual land and that opposing the learning of another national language alongside one's mother tongue is not right. Following this statement, a round of allegations and counter-allegations began in Maharashtra.

Speaking on the entire matter, Fadnavis advised his critics to listen to Amit Shah's full speech. According to Fadnavis, Shah had made clear in his speech the importance of the Marathi language in Maharashtra and the place of the mother tongue. Fadnavis also clarified that the people of Maharashtra being multilingual does not mean their mother tongue changes. Targeting his critics, he said, "Listening selectively and commenting on that basis is not right," meaning that hearing only a chosen part and commenting on it is not proper.

Meanwhile, a social media post by MNS chief Raj Thackeray is also being widely discussed. Raj Thackeray posted a brief message that read, "A cow does not die from a crow's curse. That is all for now." The post came after Amit Shah's statement at the Rajbhasha conference, so there is much speculation in political circles about who it is aimed at.

Fadnavis also clarified his stance on the issue of police not granting permission for Manoj Jarange Patil's proposed agitation in Mumbai. He said that maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the police. According to Fadnavis, Jarange has applied again and a decision will be taken on merit. He also said that during Ganeshotsav, Mumbai and Pune see heavy crowds, which is why the law and order issue is important at this time.