Entrepreneur Sushil Kedia’s Post on Not Knowing Marathi Sparks MNS Vandalism in Mumbai
Entrepreneur Sushil Kedia's Post on Not Knowing Marathi Sparks MNS Vandalism in Mumbai
Sushil Kedia’s online remark leads to political backlash, office attack, and an eventual apology
Entrepreneur and investment analyst Sushil Kedia found himself at the center of a controversy on Saturday after workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) vandalised his Mumbai office. The attack came just a day after Kedia shared a social media post stating that he had lived in Mumbai for 30 years without learning Marathi.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kedia wrote: “I don’t know Marathi properly even after living for 30 years in Mumbai. Threatening me by 100 of your party workers is not going to make me a fluent Marathi speaker.” He also tagged MNS chief Raj Thackeray, challenging the party to act against him.
The post was met with outrage from MNS leaders. The party’s official X handle reposted General Secretary Manoj Chavan’s strong reaction: “If you live in Maharashtra and act superior by not speaking Marathi, I’ll give you a tight slap!” MNS city chief Sandeep Deshpande echoed the anger, saying: “Do business if you’re a businessman, don’t try to act like our boss. If you insult Marathi in Maharashtra, you’ll get a slap. Stay in your lane, Mehta or whoever.”
The incident drew condemnation from other political quarters. BJP MLA Narendra Mehta from Mira-Bhayander responded, “Pride in Marathi, but not by forgetting the limits of humanity! I strongly condemn this act.”
BJP minister Nitesh Rane also weighed in, saying: “Those who raise their hands against poor Hindus should also show the courage to go to Nalbazar and Mohammad Ali Road and beat up the jihadis! Because you never hear them speaking Marathi!”
Shortly after the MNS workers vandalised his office, Kedia posted a video on X, appealing directly to Raj Thackeray with the caption: “I request Raj Thackeray Ji to consider my humble submission,” and issued a public apology.
The episode has sparked wider discussion around linguistic pride, freedom of expression, and the boundaries of political reaction in Maharashtra’s increasingly polarised public discourse.
