MNS workers deface HDFC’s Thane branch after its website lists Gujarati as Mumbai’s regional language
MNS workers threw black ink at HDFC’s bank branch in Talao Pali, Thane as a sign of protest
Members of Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Tuesday defaced the outer wall of a HDFC bank branch in Thane after learning that its website was showing Mumbai’s regional language as ‘Gujarati’ instead of ‘Marathi’.
On Monday, many netizens noticed that on HDFC bank’s phone banking page lists the regional language of city ‘Mumbai’ as ‘Gujarati’, whereas the language for the rest of Maharashtra was specified as ‘Marathi’.
After learning about the ‘mistake’, over a dozen MNS workers reached HDFC’s bank branch in Talao Pali, near Gadkari Rangayatan in Thane today morning and threw black ink its outer walls as a sign of protest.
A screengrab of Google’s search result which lists HDFC’s phone banking numbers
The workers also stuck posters, carrying a screenshot of the Google search result for HDFC’s phone banking numbers, outside the branch.
Unlike some of their earlier protests, where party workers haven’t shied away from taking the law in their hands, today’s protest was loud but non-violent, likely in the wake of the upcoming civic polls.
So far no complaint has been registered. Meanwhile, an official statement from HDFC about displaying the incorrect language on its website and today’s incident is awaited.
One of the posters stuck by MNS workers outside the bank branch
MNS, which has made a name for itself for its pro-Marathi and aggressive stance, is currently struggling to salvage its reputation in Maharashtra politics after performing dismally in the previous Assembly Elections in the state, where it won only one seat out.
Although it fared better in the last BMC elections, where it managed a tally of 27 corporators, the party’s future in the city is largely uncertain after the alliance talks with Shiv Sena failed last week.
Following which, Raj Thackeray said that he had proposed an alliance with Sena with the intention of consolidating the Marathi votes.
