Marathi Row: Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik Attempts To Join MNS Rally, Gets Heckled By Protesters — Video
Several MNS workers, including their Thane chief Avinash Jadhav, were detained Tuesday morning as they took out a protest march in Thane over the ongoing Marathi-Hindi language row in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Baburao Sarnaik on Tuesday defied his government and tried to join the opposition Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) protest rally against traders over the ongoing language row in the state. However, he was forced to leave the protest site in Thane after being heckled by MNS workers.
When Sarnaik reached Mira Bhayandar to showcase his protest for MNS' stance on the language row, the MNS workers, instead of giving him a warm welcome, called him a "traitor" and forced him to leave.
As the crowd grew agitated the Maharashtra minister had no choice but to leave the spot. The protest rally was organised by the MNS to demonstrate against the slapgate incident, wherein party workers assaulted a food stall owner for not speaking Marathi.
#WATCH | Maharashtra Minister Pratap Baburao Sarnaik arrives at Mira-Bhayander, where MNS workers held a protest today over the language row pic.twitter.com/QDgR9JoTn8
— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2025
Sarnaik had earlier challenged his government, saying that the police can try to detain him, but he would still join the MNS protest.
Meanwhile, several MNS workers, including their Thane chief Avinash Jadhav, were detained this morning as they took out a march during the protest.
Traders in the area had staged a protest following the assault of the food stall owner for not speaking in Marathi. This was followed by a counter-protest by MNS, which further fanned tensions over language issue.
'We Were Giving MNS Permission To Protest But...': Fadnavis
On the MNS protest march, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the protesters did not take an alternate route, despite the administration asking them to do so.
"It would be wrong to say that we did not permit the protest at Mira Road. I have spoken to the commissioner, who told me that the Police did not refuse permission for the protest," Fadnavis told reporters outside the Assembly.
He added that the MNS workers sought permission to protest on a route where it was not possible for the authorities to approve. "They had asked for permission for a meeting. We were giving them that permission, but they wanted to hold a protest march on a route where it was not possible to do so," the CM said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Yogesh Ramdas Kadam dismissed any political angle to the issue, saying that the permission to hold a protest was denied as MNS had chosen a location that could cause problems.
He said that permission would have been granted if they agreed to hold protest march at another location, which the party refused.
"There is no politics in this. The location where they have requested permission may create a few issues. We have told them to change the location, and then permission will be granted. But they are not willing to change the place," Kadam said.
(With inputs from news agency ANI.)
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