Raj Thackeray has imposed a media directive on MNS leaders amid rising Hindi-Marathi tensions to keep up message management and keep away from additional controversy.
Amid the intensifying Hindi-Marathi language row in Maharashtra, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has imposed a strict media directive on his celebration leaders and employees. The transfer comes after latest protests and rising tensions over the alleged imposition of Hindi within the state.
In a submit shared on social media platform X late Tuesday evening, Thackeray directed all MNS members to chorus from partaking with any type of media—be it print, tv, or digital. He additional instructed them to not submit any statements, reactions, or movies on social media platforms with out his approval.
“There’s a clear instruction—no celebration member is to work together with newspapers, information channels, or digital media. Equally, chorus from posting any movies or reactions on social media,” Thackeray acknowledged. He additionally prolonged this restriction to formally designated celebration spokespersons, asserting that even they need to not converse to the media with out his prior session and consent.
Sources inside MNS say the directive is geared toward sustaining message self-discipline throughout the celebration as linguistic identification turns into a politically charged situation within the state. The latest spike in confrontations—together with incidents the place MNS members allegedly compelled people to talk Marathi—has drawn each public consideration and criticism.
The controversy escalated additional after a protest rally organised by MNS in Thane was disrupted by police. Whereas preliminary permission had reportedly been granted for the march, authorities later withdrew approval, citing issues over the proposed route. State officers stated the route might pose law-and-order dangers, a declare echoed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who clarified that nobody was denied the best to protest however the route demanded by MNS couldn’t be permitted.
MNS had deliberate the rally as a counter to an earlier march organised by merchants. The merchants’ protest adopted an incident the place a shopkeeper was allegedly assaulted by MNS employees for not talking Marathi.
As language-related tensions proceed to rise, Thackeray’s choice to tightly management public communication indicators a cautious method to stop additional flare-ups in an already unstable ambiance.