Adopting an aggressive posture in favour of the exclusive use of Marathi, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Monday declared that all MLAs would have to take oath in Marathi only. Thackeray’s statement comes in the wake of reports that Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi statements that he would be taking oath in Hindi. Azmi has been elected to the Assembly from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar and Bhiwandi.

“All MLAs in the state will take oath in Marathi only, otherwise my MLAs will show what is to be done,” warned Raj at a press conference held after an internal meeting of elected 13 MLAs and party general secretaries. Raj added that he hoped all political parties would unanimously support his stand during the swearing-in ceremony. Raj said that in Karnataka a Marathi-speaking MLAs was removed from a ministerial post for his inability to take oath in Kannada.

The Constitution permits a member to take oath in the official language of the state, any language recognised by the Constitution or the candidate’s mother tongue.

Sena slams Azmi for Hindi demand

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena in an editorial published in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Monday slammed Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi for choosing Hindi over Marathi for his swearing-in and demanding that the Assembly correspondence be in Hindi apart from Marathi and English. “This is the Assembly of Maharashtra, not a cattleshed of Azamgarh. Here laws framed by Marathi Manoos exist. If you want to stay here, stay, or else get out,” the editorial said. ENS