Aaditya Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing it of harbouring deep-seated hostility towards Maharashtra. His remarks came in response to Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar, who controversially likened recent incidents related to Marathi language in Mumbai to the Pahalgam terror attack, drawing widespread criticism. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray addresses the media in Mumbai.(PTI file)

Aaditya Thackeray said the BJP’s comparison of Maharashtra to terrorists involved in the Pahalgam incident was not only insensitive but also revealed the party’s “malice and poison” against the state. He questioned why the actual perpetrators of the attack remained untraceable three months on and accused the BJP of using such analogies to defame Maharashtra.

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“There is a lot of poison in the BJP’s mind when it comes to Maharashtra. Today, the BJP has compared Maharashtra to the terrorists in the Pahalgam incident – the terrorists whom the BJP could not catch or stop. It has been three months since the Pahalgam incident, but where did those terrorists go? Nobody knows if they fled to Pakistan or joined the BJP. But comparing them to Maharashtra shows the malice and poison that the BJP has for the state,” said the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA told reporters.

Ashish Shelar’s comments came amid rising tensions over attacks on non-Marathi speakers in the state. The BJP leader alleged that some political figures were silently condoning the violence, indirectly targeting Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, who recently reunited at a joint rally promoting Marathi pride.

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“All these incidents cause pain, suffering, and mental distress. In Pahalgam, they shot them after asking about their religion. And here, they beat up the innocent Hindus just because of the language they speak. Such cases create a disturbance,” news agency ANI quoted Shelar as saying.

Five workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were arrested in connection with the vandalism at entrepreneur Sushil Kedia’s office in Worli, police said on Saturday. A case has been registered against them under Sections 223, 189(2), 189(3), 190, 191(2), 191(3), and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Kedia, who found himself in the middle of the language row in Maharashtra over his recent remarks against MNS and its chief Raj Thackeray, stated that he made these comments in haste and has now realised his mistake.

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In another incident, as per a viral video, a group of men allegedly associated with a regional party beat up a shop owner for not speaking in Marathi. The incident occurred in the Mira-Bhayandar area near Mumbai.

On Friday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis warned of strict legal action against those engaging in “hooliganism” in the name of Marathi. He added that the Mahayuti government will not tolerate violence against commoners.

Although the Maharashtra government withdrew its April 16 orders on the implementation of the three-language policy that made Hindi a “mandatory” third language for school students in Classes 1 to 5 studying in English and Marathi medium schools, the political controversy over the same has brought together long-time estranged Thackeray cousins after nearly two decades.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday shared the stage together at the Worli Dome in Mumbai as they held a joint rally in protest against the “Hindi imposition”.