"Do Not Talk To Media": Raj Thackeray's Message To MNS Leaders

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has told all party workers and leaders to stop speaking to the media without his permission amid the language row that snowballed from an attack on a food stall owner over not speaking in Marathi.

Mr Thackeray also said no one in the MNS should post videos or reactions on social media.

He told MNS leaders and members who are tasked with speaking to the media to take his permission before they go ahead with any communication. They cannot express their opinion on social media too, Mr Thackeray said.

"A clear directive... No one from the party should interact with newspapers, news channels, or any digital media. Likewise, absolutely do not post videos of your reactions on social media," he said in a post on X.

"And those spokespersons officially assigned the responsibility of interacting with the media should also not engage with any form of media without consulting me or obtaining my permission, nor should they express themselves on social media," Mr Thackeray added.

एक स्पष्ट आदेश... पक्षातील कोणीही वर्तमानपत्रं, वृत्तवाहिन्या किंवा कोणत्याही डिजिटल माध्यमांशी संवाद साधायचा नाही. तसंच स्वतःचे प्रतिक्रियांचे व्हिडीओज सोशल मीडियावर टाकायचे हे पण अजिबात करायचं नाही.

आणि माध्यमांशी संवाद साधण्याची अधिकृत जबाबदारी ज्या प्रवक्त्यांना दिली आहे...

— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) July 8, 2025

The MNS chief's diktat came hours after NDTV reporter Sujata Dwivedi confronted a leader of his party over the language row. A video of interaction, during which Ms Dwivedi asked tough questions to the MNS leader while she struggled to respond, has now gone viral.

MNS state vice-president Reshma Tapase said the party will file sedition cases against anyone who does not respect Marathi. The NDTV reporter then pointed out that Ms Tapase's own party colleagues are facing cases for assaulting people in the name of language.

"There are cases against me, too; it's not a big deal. This is for Marathi and Maharashtra. Whoever comes here and whoever has settled here must decide if they want to speak Marathi or not," she said.

Ms Dwivedi asked her a practical question: how she would feel if she visited another state and was forced to speak a particular language? The NDTV reporter cited the example of Karnataka, which, too, has made headlines for organisations forcing people to learn Kannada.

Ms Tapase had a bizarre reply: "I have not gone to Karnataka because I don't know the language."

This set off an epic exchange.

Earlier today, a large number of people from the MNS and other pro-Marathi groups under the aegis of the Marathi Ekikaran Samiti held a counter-protest against traders, who recently came together to condemn the assault on the food stall owner over not speaking in Marathi.

Several MNS members were detained. Leaders and workers of the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) also joined the protest.