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Will do anything to protect Marathi, do not file cases against us: Raj Thackeray

The MNS chief urged parents to make their children speak in Marathi. ''We should make our children speak in Marathi and think in Marathi.

In an open letter to MNS workers, Raj Thackeray wrote: “First of all, I congratulate you for once again raising your strong voice for the Marathi issue in Maharashtra.(Express File Photo)

MNS chief Raj Thackeray today cautioned the government ”to not file cases if they do certain things for the preservation of Marathi language.”

Speaking at the Vishwa Marathi Sammelan in Pune on Sunday, Raj Thackeray said, while nudging Minister Uday Samant, ”We will do everything to preserve the Marathi language. But if we do certain things, cases should not be filed against us,” he said, adding, ”Whenever we do something for Marathi language, cases are filed against us. But we will continue to do whatever is necessary for Marathi language.”

Stating that the future of Marathi language and ‘Marathi Manoos’ were in danger, Thackeray said, ”In Himachal Pradesh, even if you are an Indian citizen, you cannot purchase land. But in Maharashtra, anyone can come and take away our land. If our own people are becoming homeless in our own land, then we cannot call it a progress.”

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The MNS chief urged parents to make their children speak in Marathi. ”We should make our children speak in Marathi and think in Marathi. It is unfortunate that they converse with each other in Hindi…If we don’t respect our own language, why will others do so?,” he asked.

Raj Thackeray urged people not to confine our national icons in caste frameworks. ”We should not see our national heroes from the prism of caste. They belong to one and all. Maharashtra should come out of the narrow-mindset of castes,” he said.

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