Bikaner (Rajasthan) [India], July 12 (ANI): Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal responded to the ongoing Hindi-Marathi language row, saying the Government of India is committed to promoting and respecting all Indian languages under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, 'This is part of the National Education Policy 2020. The Government of India has clearly stated that whatever the Indian language may be, we will respect it and promote it. We have given Marathi the status of a classical language. Was this done during the Congress regime?... The development of all languages, including Hindi, is taking place.'

Meanwhile, the controversy began after reports surfaced that some traders in Mumbai were allegedly attacked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for not speaking Marathi. The incident followed remarks attributed to MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who reportedly instructed party workers to 'beat but don't make a video' of those refusing to speak Marathi.

Earlier, on Thursday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey slammed Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray amid the Hindi-Marathi language row, saying they only beat 'poor people' for not speaking Marathi.

Speaking to reporters, Nishikant Dubey said, 'You beat up the poor. But Mukesh Ambani lives there, he speaks very little Marathi. If you have guts, go to him. Mahim has a large Muslim population. If you have guts, go there. SBI chairman doesn't speak Marathi, try hitting him.'

Nishikant Dubey further clarified that his earlier statement regarding the economy of Maharashtra has been misinterpreted.

He said, 'There is something which I said and which has been destroyed - Maharashtra has a great contribution in the economy of this country...What I said was misconstrued by people. But what I am saying is that we too have a contribution to the tax paid by Mumbai or Maharashtra. This has nothing to do with the Thackeray family or the Maratha. SBI and LIC, which pay tax, have their headquarters in Mumbai.'

Earlier, Dubey strongly reacted to MNS chief Raj Thackeray's remark. Raj had reportedly instructed his party workers to 'beat but don't make a video,' referring to individuals unwilling to speak in Marathi.

In response, Dubey had said, 'What are you doing, whose bread are you eating? You people are surviving on our money. What kind of industries do you have? We have all the mines in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. What mines do you have? All semiconductor refineries are in Gujarat.'

Challenging the intent behind the aggression towards Hindi-speaking people, Dubey added, 'If you have the courage to beat Hindi speakers, then beat those who speak Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu too. If you're such a 'boss', come out of Maharashtra--come to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. 'Tumko patak patak ke maarenge'...'

'There is something which I said and which has been destroyed - Maharashtra has a great contribution in the economy of this country...What I said was misconstrued by people. But what I am saying is that we too have a contribution in the tax paid by Mumbai or Maharashtra. This has nothing to do with the Thackeray family or the Maratha. SBI and LIC, who pay tax, have their headquarters in Mumbai,' he added. (ANI)