‘Mujhe maaf karo’: Maharashtra man apologises after asking people to speak in Marathi; netizens call it, ‘Pure karma’

‘Mujhe maaf karo’: Amid the Marathi language agitation in Maharashtra led by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a man was “bullied” into apologising in Hindi for asking a non-Marathi neighbourhood to speak in Marathi.

In a viral video making rounds on social media, the man, allegedly an MNS worker, had entered a Muslim neighbourhood of the city and tried forcing the people there to speak in Marathi.

However, in a twist of fate, he was cornered by the local population, who made him apologise in Hindi. Not only did the man say sorry, but he also explained why he was apologising in Hindi.

Sharing the viral clip on Twitter (now X), a social media user said, “MNS worker went to Muslim area and told them to speak in Marathi. They ganged up on him and forced him to apologise and forced him to speak in Hindi (which is basically Urdu for them).”

“MNS has no organisational strength and presence in Maharashtra. They can only threaten poor Hindus who don’t have any means of ganging up. Bully these bullies and they will always back off,” the user added.

Here’s how netizens reacted:

Netizens were delighted to see the man apologise in Hindi and claimed that it was “pure karma” for the harassment they put the non-Marathis through each day.

“They went to force others to speak Marathi, but ended up saying sorry in Hindi. That’s pure karma. MNS always targets poor people,” a user said.

“Now Raj Thackeray should go alone and show his influence in the same area, if he got any shame. Aa Gaya swad Marathi manush???” added another user.

“MNS should be mocked for bullying anyone using this specific reference. Shame and shut down,” said another user.

“Reminds us of a certain group of Kannada activists from Bangalore,” a user said, referring to the Kannada-language row in Karnataka.

“They’re only able to shout at and harass women for not speaking Marathi,” claimed another user.

Another user said, “This is a good example how demography change kills all the regionalist bully agenda.”

“Dekhte hai kitna muscle power aur rowdygiri dikhayenge mumbra mein,” a user quipped.

“Waiting for this showdown if MNS has what it says,” added another user.

Raj Thackeray asks MNS workers to ‘halt’ Marathi language agitation

MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday asked his party workers to halt the agitation demanding mandatory use of the Marathi language in banks and other establishments across the state, as per an official statement from MNS.

In a letter to the party worker, Thackeray said, “It’s time to halt the agitation as we’ve raised sufficient awareness about the issue. It’s up to the Marathi community to insist on their rights. If our community doesn’t take action, then what’s the point of these agitations?”

He expressed hope that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government will follow the law regarding the use of the Marathi language in all establishments across the state.

Thackeray urged his workers to pause the agitation but remain focused on the issue.