Fadnavis says nothing wrong with promoting Marathi, but those taking law into their hands will face action

Mumbai: In the wake of the Bank of Maharashtra Officers Association writing to him after the Raj Thackeray-led MNS's agitation demanding that all staff members speak in Marathi, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that those resorting to violence would face action.

"There is nothing wrong with promoting Marathi, but strong action will be taken against those who take the law into their hands," he said.

In Karnataka, the MNS received backing from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), pro-Kannada organisation. KRV leader T A Narayan Gowda expressed support via Twitter, acknowledging the difficulties faced by Marathi speakers in Maharashtra's banks and shops due to non-Marathi speaking north Indians. He emphasised KRV's consistent stance on prioritising regional languages within their respective states.

Back home, Fadnavis held a review meeting on the industrialisation of the state and said villages with MIDCs should be given the status of industrial townships to accelerate their development.

The MIDC has allocated 2,346 acres of industrial plots to industries out of the target of providing 3,500 acres of industrial plots.