Shall I speak in Marathi? PM Modi quips during call with Rajya Sabha nominee

Moments after 26/11 Mumbai blast lawyer Ujjwal Nikam was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu, he revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to inform him about the development on Saturday and had started speaking in Marathi.

Speaking exclusively to India Today TV, Nikam said, "He (PM Modi) started speaking in Marathi. He asked in Marathi whether he should talk in Hindi or in Marathi. I started laughing. Hearing me laugh, PM Modi also started laughing."

Acknowledging that accepting Hindi has contributed to his growth, Nikam said he still tries to learn the local language of whichever state he visits, while refraining from commenting on the targeting of non-Marathi-speaking people in Mumbai.

The interaction comes at a time when the Thackeray brothers have targeted the BJP for trying to 'impose' Hindi in Maharashtra and migrants for not speaking Marathi.

Earlier today, a migrant auto-rickshaw driver was filmed being thrashed in Maharashtra's Palghar by supporters of both Uddhav Sena and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi and then subsequently forcing his passenger to talk in Bhojpuri and Hindi.

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