'MNS Ki School': Raj Thackeray's Party Starts Unique Initiative At Borivali's Moksh Plaza Mall To Teach Marathi To Traders (Video)

Mumbai: In a fresh bid to assert the prominence of the Marathi language, the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has launched a dedicated Marathi school in Mumbai's Borivali area. The initiative, named ‘MNS Ki School’, was inaugurated on Saturday, April 5, at Moksh Plaza Mall. The school aims to teach Marathi to non-Marathi-speaking traders and residents in the locality, reinforcing the party’s long-standing agenda of promoting the regional language.

Mumbai, Maharashtra: MNS has launched 'MNS Ki School' at Moksh Plaza Mall in Borivali to teach Marathi to non-Marathi traders

MNS General Secretary, Nayan Kadam says, "...If we go to UP, we’ll speak in Hindi. I recently went to Kumbh Mela, and there I didn't say I will speak in… pic.twitter.com/nJDWAEcNh7

— IANS (@ians_india) April 5, 2025

Commenting on the initiative, MNS General Secretary Nayan Kadam told IANS that the effort is not to target outsiders but to encourage respect for the local language. “If we go to Uttar Pradesh, we speak in Hindi. Similarly, if people come to Maharashtra and earn a living here, we only ask that they respect Marathi and speak the local language,” he said, adding that he himself had recently visited the Kumbh Mela and conversed in Hindi out of cultural courtesy.

The move comes amid a recent spate of troubling incidents across Maharashtra where MNS workers have been seen storming into nationalised banks, such as the Bank of Maharashtra, and threatening or even assaulting staff for not communicating in Marathi. Videos circulating online show MNS members aggressively confronting bank employees and other individuals over their inability to converse in the local language.

However, the MNS campaign has drawn strong criticism and concern, especially from the banking sector. Following the assaults on their staff, the officers' association of the Bank of Maharashtra wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, seeking immediate protection, said reports. The letter urged the state to ensure the safety of bank employees and to take stringent action against individuals who use language as a tool for intimidation.

Raj Thackeray Urges Workers To Stop Aggressive Agitation

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray, chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), officially called off his party’s aggressive agitation against individuals and institutions not using Marathi as a medium of communication. Declaring that the campaign had 'successfully created enough awareness,' Thackeray directed his party workers to cease all strong-arm tactics immediately.

The decision came after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly cautioned Thackeray about the unrest caused by the agitation. Thackeray also held a meeting with Marathi language minister Uday Samant on Saturday, following which he announced the end of the campaign.

news