By: Express News ServiceNovember 22, 2025 08:53 PM IST 3 min readUddhav Thackeray accused the BJP and RSS of fueling linguistic regionalism after the death of 19-year-old Arnav Khaire, who was allegedly assaulted for not speaking Marathi. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)Days after a 19-year-old college student died by suicide after he was beaten up over a scuffle in a local train for not speaking Marathi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said it is the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that has spread poison over the language.Thackeray’s statement comes on the backdrop of BJP’s agitation in front of the memorial of Sena founder late Bal Thackeray at Shivaji Park, where the party blamed ‘certain political figures and parties’ for spreading enmity over language. The Opposition Congress too slammed the BJP terming its agitation as ‘tamasha’, stating that it is the BJP which has been spreading poison in the community through its communal politics.“We express our sorrow over the demise of Arnav Khaire. We strongly condemn the fact that some political figures and parties are trying to create division in the society in the name of language. Our stance is that there should be unity in the society, not enmity. May people with such tendencies get wisdom by praying at the memorial of Late Balasaheb Thackeray,” Mumbai BJP President Amit Satam had said.While speaking with party workers at his residence Matoshri on Saturday, Thackeray said, “Now they (BJP) are trying to flare linguistic regionalism by using the unfortunate incident. We have never asked for violence or murder in the name of language.”Thackeray recalled how it was RSS heavyweight Bhaiyyaji Joshi who had said that Gujarati is a mother tongue of Ghatkopar, a suburban area in Mumbai. He also pointed out how Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Surve made derogatory remarks about Marathi. “It is the BJP and the RSS which is spreading this poison (of linguistic regionalism) and putting the blame on us,” said the Sena UBT chief adding that it is important to be aware of such ‘divide and rule’ tendencies.Mumbai Congress’s chief spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the BJP was playing a cruel joke on the people of Maharashtra by accusing others of playing politics over language and region. “It is the same BJP which has spread poison in the country in the name of religion and caste. It has the audacity to lecture others and do politics over the unfortunate death of a young boy. The BJP should feel ashamed of itself,” said Sawant.Also Read | RSS, BJP close the distance via Haryana, onward now to Maharashtra, JharkhandOn November 18, Arnav Khaire, a 19-year-old first-year BSc student at a prominent college in Mulund, was travelling to college in a local train when he was allegedly beaten up by a group of four to five people for not speaking Marathi. Police have registered a case based on the statement of Khaire’s father, who said his son was under severe mental stress following the incident.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Maharashtra BJPRSS