Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday hit back at BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his "tumko patak patak ke maarenge" remark against him and said, "You (Nishikant Dubey) come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge."
Speaking at a public meeting in Mumbai, Thackeray spoke on the language controversy and said, "I have not come here to stoke any controversy over language. Beware, anything can happen to you. I am a Hindu but Hindi cannot be imposed on me. If anyone has a right over this region, it is we (Marathis). You are the sons of Maharashtra; others have come from outside. If someone comes here and does something a little too much, then beat them up."
Responding to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's warning to him, Raj Thackeray said, "A BJP MP said, 'Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge'... You come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge."
The BJP MP had indirectly warned Raj Thackeray against targeting non-Hindi speakers and said he was a 'bahut bade boss' to come out of Maharashtra and added, "Tumko patak patak ke maarenge" (you will be thrashed badly, again and again).
Dubey's remark had followed a series of attacks against non-Hindi speakers in Maharashtra by MNS and Shiv Sena UBT workers over the language controversy.
Addressing the public meeting, Raj said that he would not make any compromise over Marathi and the people of Maharashtra. "To those who live in Maharashtra, I would like to say 'learn Marathi as soon as possible, wherever you go, speak Marathi'," he said.
"In Karnataka, they fight for their language. Even a rickshaw puller knows that the government is standing behind him over language. Similarly, you be like a pillar and speak in Marathi only. This is what I have come to request of all of you," he added.
