Language, religion takes center stage in Maharashtra politics as polls near

Mumbai: Ahead of polls, a language war has broken out in Mumbai with the activists of Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS vandalising the Gujarati signboards in the Ghatkopar area, where Gujarati people reside in large numbers. The BJP leaders have demanded that the signboards should be reinstalled by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Unidentified individuals damaged the signboard with Gujarati text and replaced it with a flex displaying the Shiv Sena (UBT) symbol at a triangular traffic junction near the 'N' ward BMC office in Ghatkopar. The junction was beautified in 2016 by the then-local corporator Pravin Chheda of the BJP and a large signage 'Maru Ghatkopar' (My Ghatkopar) in Gujarati was installed on one side.

Followed by this, the MNS activists also damaged some other Gujarati nameplates at RB Mehta Marg on Monday night, due to which the atmosphere became tense in Ghatkopar.

The BJP workers and Gujarati people in Ghatkopar protested against the vandalising acts on Tuesday. "At the traffic junction, the other two sides had signages in Marathi and English. There was no effort to project only the Gujarati language. But both the Shiv Sena UBT and the MNS are trying to create the Marathi versus Gujarati row for their own political benefits," said Chheda.

The Marathi versus Gujarati row is likely to be snowballed into a major controversy in coming days. The vandalising incident happened days after a Marathi woman Trupti Deorukhkar was allegedly refused a premises by a society which was largely occupied by Gujarati people in Mulund area. Later, Gujarati office bearers of society tendered an apology.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has demanded to restrict entry for upcoming Navratri festival only to Hindus to prevent 'Love Jihad' incidents. He asked organisers to check Aadhaar cards and allow only Hindus to enter garba and dandiya venues.

"We demand that participants in dandiya and garba events should be from the Hindu community. We have urged the organisers that to check the Aadhaar cards of everyone coming in at the entrance and allow only Hindus so that the Hindu women will not face any difficult," the BJP MLA said.

He claimed that several incidents have happened linking cases of ‘love jihad’ and religious conversion to such festivities.

"Hindu women are lied to and lured. People who do not belong to our community come to such events wearing saffron and other attires and call themselves Hindus," Rane added.