Mumbai, July 10 Actor Annu Kapoor, who was last seen in the controversial film ‘Hamare Baarah’, has spoken on the issue of Hindi and Marathi conflict in the state of Maharashtra.
The actor spoke with the media at an event in Chandigarh, and gave a balanced take saying that violence in this case is certainly wrong, unconstitutional and should be condemned. However, he also said that if someone settles in some part of the country to make a living, it’s their duty and responsibility to respect the local culture, and language is the basis of culture.
He told the media, “Justice delayed is justice denied. Let me tell you ,the most important thing is that our country is a country of diversity. Religion, language, and community cannot be unified. I often say that we can be unified on the Indian flag. Some will see white, some will see saffron, some will see green. But, you should keep an eye on our flag as whole because that is our future. But we are of different languages. We can speak in Hindustan”.
In Maharashtra, a new movement is brewing. For now, the movement is gaining momentum in big cities of the state after the Maharashtra government passed a decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools in April this year. The State Council of Educational Research and Training included this provision in the state School Curriculum Framework-2024.
The actor went on to quote an example saying if a person goes to New York, Paris, London, Milan, it’s imperative that they speak their language.
He shared, “But if you don't know how to speak, then getting slapped for it is completely unlawful. So, those who have done violence in the name of language, be it Raj Thackeray, Bal Thackeray, or anyone else, who tries to break the law, takes the support of violence, goes against the constitution and does illegal things, they should be legally punished. That's it”.
He also said that this is a political move, and the people involved in this have “succeeded in their purpose” as today, the “whole country is talking about this”.
“This is what they wanted. This is what politicians want. Politicians want news. They want people to talk about them. And they are not the only ones. Politicians from all over India and the world want this”, he shared.
He continued, “Yes, violence is wrong, it is a criminal offence. It is the job of the law to punish the perpetrator. Justice delayed is justice denied. And if justice is denied, then justice lies in court. As simple as that”.
He then recollected that last year, in Mumbai, one of his films was embroiled in controversy, as he said, “The Muslim community, the Ulema, had objected that they would kill Annu Kapoor. So the Maharashtra government provided me security. They were following me with a gun to look after me. After it was sorted out, I told them, ‘I don't want the security now’. But sir, to remove security, an application has to be filed”.
“So, I think, such extra-constitutional authority should be condemned. Our courts make decisions. Where does justice work? Who told you that justice works in courts? Decisions are made in courts, they don’t deliver justice”, he added.
Meanwhile, the government of Maharashtra has already rolled back its decision, and School Education Minister Dada Bhuse announced that Hindi will now be an optional subject, with Marathi and English being the priority languages.
The latest uproar comes in the light of violent measures being taken by MNS workers against people in Mumbai and Pune who refuse to speak Marathi.
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