In the eastern suburbs of Mulund, a Gujarati individual rejected to offer an office space for Trupti Devarukhkar for being a Marathi, which sparked intense outrage. Various political leaders expressed their dismay over this incident. While speaking on the matter, BJP leader Pankaja Munde shared a similar distressing experience of her own. Even being a senior politician, Munde said she too faced rejection when trying to find a home in Mumbai, highlighting the need for change in such discriminatory practices.

Pankaja Munde, in a video posted on her social media account, said, “After watching a video of the girl from Mulund, I felt like expressing these feelings…”

Munde shades light on differences in society

Pankaja Munde expressed her perspective by stating, “In today’s political environment and the overall societal context, where there is so much affluence, there are roads, highways, all amenities, and cars everywhere. Despite all this, there seems to be some kind of unhealthiness within society.”

“The fight for reservations is going on. People from different communities… some are shaving their heads, some are agitating. Seeing all this, it pierces the heart. At the same time, people have been divided on the basis of colours. Green, saffron, yellow, blue. Having seen all these colors, sometimes it feels that if we shake these colours together on a wheel, what appears in the end is the white colour. It is the color of peace. I am waiting for the day when this color of peace spreads across our country,” said Pankaja Munde.

Faced similar ordeal looking for home: Munde on Mulund row

Speaking about the Mulund incident, Pankaja Munde said, “Today, I witnessed the pain of a Marathi girl. Personally, I never indulge in debate over language and parochialism. Throughout my political journey, I have never made comments having undertones of casteism or religious bias. Some people speak in any language they like. I have never indulged in conversations like which language should people speak, what names should they give to their houses or shops.”

“When a girl says in distress that Marathi people are not given homes here, that Marathi people are not welcome here, it is heartbreaking. Because when I had to leave government accommodations and find a home for myself, I also had this experience in many places. I have also come across people who said that we don’t provide homes to Marathi people here,” Pankaja Munde shared while talking about the incident in Mulund.

“I don’t take sides with any particular language. The beauty of Mumbai lies in its diversity, where every language and religion coexist. This city is an economic capital of our country. That’s why everyone is welcome here. However, it’s unfortunate that if someone speaks this way in some buildings,” Pankaja Munde expressed.

“Even a person like me had to experienced this. It is very unfortunate. Do we really need permission to provide homes to people of every state, every language, or any caste? This is my simple question. It’s the day of Ganpati immersion. We don’t just need to immerse the idol of Lord Ganesha; instead, we should immerse all the negative aspects. Immersion of all disputes, caste, religion, region, and language. Isn’t that possible? How does it seem to you? My position is not for any particular group; it is for everyone to come together,” said Pankaja Munde.

Case registered against Gujarati father son-duo

Days after news emerged that a Marathi woman was denied office space in Mumbai’s Mulund eastern suburban area, a case was registered against a Gujarati father-son duo who reportedly refused renting office space to the Marathi woman on the basis of her identity, as claimed by the woman who even confronted the father and son and recorded the confrontation on her mobile phone. However, the man snatched the mobile phone from the woman’s hand even as she warned him not to do so, video of which was shared by several political leaders, who expressed concern at the plight of the Marathi woman in the video.

The woman, Tripti Devrukhkar, had also released a video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and broke down narrating the whole incident, shocked and saddened that this was happening to a Marathi person in Mumbai.

A case was filed in Mulund Police Station on the complaint of Tripti Devrukhkar. Police have also detained both the accused, according to reports. The names of the father and son are Praveen Thakkar and his son Nilesh Thakkar.