Marathi Vs Marwari: Now, BJP leader in Mumbai asks, `How many Marathis became rich?`

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari courted controversy when he said during an event in Mumbai that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from the city, Mumbai won`t remain the country`s financial capital. Now, BJP leader Nitesh Rane has further added fuel to the fire.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari courted controversy on Saturday when he said that there will be no money left in Mumbai and it will cease to be the financial capital of the country if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from the city. Koshyari said, "I tell people here that if Gujaratis and Rajasthanis are removed from Maharashtra, especially Mumbai and Thane, you will have no money and Mumbai will not be a financial capital." He made the statement after the naming ceremony of a chowk in Andheri, a western suburb of Mumbai.

Now BJP leader Nitesh Rane has further added fuel to the fire. He said that the governor's comment was not insulting, but that it was only acknowledging the contributions of the Marwaris. In a tweet that he wrote in Marathi, Rane said, "How many Marathis made it big or became rich? How many Marathi youths got BMC contract?" He also shared a news report of a temporary Covid centre in Mumbai, and asked why wasn't "this given to a Marathi businessman?"

Koshyari's comment has caused an uproar in the state. Congress criticised the governor over his statement and demanded an apology from him. The governor said the Rajasthani-Marwari community is living in different parts of the country and also in countries like Nepal and Mauritius. "Wherever members of this community go, they not only do business but also do acts of philanthropy by creating schools, hospitals," he said.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule, meanwhile, slammed the governor for his comment. She said the Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari's statement belittled the Marathi people. Her Marathi tweets loosely translate into: "As a Marathi person, I condemn his statement. 105 martyrs shed their blood in the struggle for a United Maharashtra. This city has stood because of the struggles of millions of Marathi people...This is 'Aamchi Mumbai' for all who are born on this soil and love Mumbai."

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had slammed the governor's remarks and said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should condemn the governor's remarks.