'Do Aamir Khan, Javed Akhtar speak Marathi?' Maharashtra minister jumps into language row after MNS vs shopowner viral video

Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane on Friday (July 4) spoke about the alleged assault of a shop owner after he refused to speak in Marathi. Rane alleged that only Hindus were being targeted for not speaking Marathi, and asked if lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor Aamir Khan could speak the language. Rane was referring to an incident that took place in Thane's Bhayander where a group of men, wearing Raj Thackeray-led party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) scarves thrashed a man for not speaking Marathi. The video of the incident had previously gone viral.

A viral video showed the group asking the shop owner "which language is spoken in the state,” after he talked to them in Hindi. According to news agency PTI, the shop owner replied, "all languages", after which he was slapped several times. Speaking to news agency ANI, Rane said, "A Hindu was beaten up for not speaking Marathi. If they have the courage, go to Null Bazaar, Mohammed Ali road and tell people there to speak Marathi... They don't have the courage to go there and beat up those cap-wearers. Do Javed Akhtar and Aamir Khan speak in Marathi? Why beat up a poor Hindu?..." He added, “If anyone dares to do something like this, our government will also open its third eye.”