"Hindi Bolunga": Rickshaw Driver's Heated Exchange With Biker In Maharashtra

A heated exchange between two migrants in Maharashtra's Virar has gone viral on social media. The confrontation, captured on camera, shows a rickshaw driver and a bike rider engaged in a roadside argument, which quickly turned into a Hindi vs Marathi issue. 

The incident occurred near Virar station, where a minor traffic disagreement over overtaking between Bhavesh Padolia, a migrant originally from Uttar Pradesh, and a rickshaw driver -- also a migrant -- escalated into a confrontation. According to eyewitnesses and the video evidence, the rickshaw driver was repeatedly heard insisting, "Main Hindi bolunga" ("I will speak in Hindi"), while Mr Padolia reportedly confronted him for not using Marathi in public discourse.

"I am from Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. I was going towards the station with my sister when a rickshaw driver overtook me. I parked my vehicle on the side and asked him, 'Why don't you know Marathi.' He said, 'I will not speak Marathi, I will speak Hindi, I will speak Bhojpuri,'" Mr Padolia said.

This happened against the backdrop of a July 1 incident in Thane, in which men affiliated with the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) slapped a food stall owner for refusing to converse in Marathi. 

A video of the assault went viral, leading to widespread condemnation and a counter-protest by local traders demanding action against the attackers. Police subsequently detained seven members of the MNS in connection with the assault.