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TMCNet: Maharashtra MLA Attacked for Taking Oath in Hindi

[November 09, 2009]

Maharashtra MLA Attacked for Taking Oath in Hindi

MUMBAI, Nov 10, 2009 (Khaleej Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- In a shocking display of hooliganism, newly-elected members of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) attacked Samajwadi Party's Abu Asim Azmi inside the state legislature for taking his oath in Hindi.


Raj, who had last year launched a violent and vicious anti-migrant campaign in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, had a few days ago 'warned' all 288 legislators (MLAs or Members of Legislative Assembly) in Maharashtra to take the oath in Marathi. Those who defied his diktat would be dealt with appropriately, he had said.

Despite such brazen statements, the authorities had hardly taken any precautions when the new state legislature met for the first time on Monday. When Azmi started taking his oath in Hindi, all 13 MNS legislators began shouting slogans. They then walked up to the podium near the pro-tem speaker's chair and snatched the microphone and toppled it.

They also grabbed the document that he was reading and assaulted the Samajwadi Party legislator, even as Chief Minister Ashok Chavan of the Congress, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and other members of the house watched helplessly.

Ram Kadam, an aggressive MNS legislator from Mumbai then slapped Azmi on his face. Security personnel were absent during the melee. Azmi was rescued by some legislators from the Third Front. Minutes later, Baba Siddique, a Congress legislator from Mumbai -- and a minister of state -- took his oath in English, defying the MNS. By the time they walked up to him, he had finished taking his oath.

While Chavan and Bhujbal watched helplessly when the MNS legislators attacked Azmi, later they urged Ganpatrao Deshmukh, a senior legislator and pro-tem speaker, to take strong action against the new lawmakers.

But an unrepentant Kadam, speaking in excellent Hindi, told reporters outside the house that he was not scared of the action being initiated by the house. "They can suspend me, but I will return and repeat the same act a hundred times, if anyone dares insult Marathi," said Kadam. According to him, the MNS had repeatedly urged all legislators to respect Maharashtrians and take their oath in Marathi. "It is just a four-line oath and the Marathi script is similar to Hindi," said Kadam. "Azmi could have read it in Marathi and there would have been no issue." But the fact that he decided to defy the MNS request, allegedly to insult the 100 million Maharashtrians, would not be tolerated. "I have no regrets about the attack on Azmi and will repeat it again, if he dares insult Maharashtrians," said Kadam.

Azmi, however, told reporters that his aim was not to insult anyone. "I respect Marathi language and have been taking lessons of late," said the Samajwadi legislator. "However, my Marathi is weak and I was not confident of taking the oath in the language. And Hindi is the national language, so how can taking the oath in Hindi be considered an insult to Marathi?" he asked.

Elected from two constituencies -- Bhiwandi, from where he will resign, and Mankhurd -- Azmi appealed to his supporters to remain calm and not take the law into their hands. According to him, as head of the party in the assembly, he had not issued any whip against taking oath in Marathi. "Another Samajwadi Party legislator took his oath in Marathi," explained Azmi.

The attack on the SP legislator was condemned by national leaders of his party, including Mulayam Singh Yadav, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, and Amar Singh. "We want Azmi to learn Marathi, but nobody can force him to take an oath in that language," said Singh.

Veteran Maharashtra politician and leader of the Peasants and Workers Party, N.D. Patil, slammed Raj Thackeray for the attack. "Marathi-speaking legislators in the Karnataka assembly are allowed to take their oath in Marathi and nobody forces them do so in Kannada," he pointed out. "How can the MNS prevent someone from taking oath in Hindi." Nikhil Wagle, a prominent Marathi journalist, also condemned the 'hooliganism' of Raj Thackeray and called for tough action against him and his legislators. -- nithin@khaleejtimes.com To see more of the Khaleej Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.khaleejtimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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