New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Amid the Marathi language row in Maharashtra, Congress state chief Harshvardhan Sapkal on Tuesday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that they have an 'issue with the diversity' of India.

Speaking with ANI, Harshvardhan Sapkal said, 'All languages should be in harmony. But the BJP has a diversity issue. There is no reason to oppose Hindi, but the BJP has a plan to end this diversity. BJP has an agenda of raising Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan issues in everything,' Harshvardhan Sapkal.

Sapkal further said that some people want to 'polarise', and that is why the row over Hindi and Marathi has gone so far.

'Some powers want to polarise, and this is the reason this issue has gone far... Why do they then vouch for One language, One dress, One Nation and One Election?' he said.

'This is an attempt to raise conflict between Hindi and Marathi and has a hidden political agenda,' Sapkal added.

Amid the opposition accusations against the Maharashtra government of 'trying to impose Hindi' through the three-language policy, the row escalated after some incidents of violence and vandalism were reported in the state.

Five workers of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have been arrested in connection with the vandalism at entrepreneur Sushil Kedia's office in Worli, police said on Saturday. A case has been registered against them under Sections 223, 189(2), 189(3), 190, 191(2), 191(3), and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray strongly criticised the BJP, accusing the party of trying to divide Maharashtra and pushing an anti-Marathi narrative to create fear and political instability in the state.

Speaking to reporters, Aaditya Thackeray said, '...This is exactly the BJP's mentality, which is anti-Maharashtra. We have asked everyone not to react to such crazy and dirty minds because they want to create fear and instability in Maharashtra. These are the same people who want to create division in Maharashtra, and we will not tolerate this.'

He further alleged that this was part of a deliberate political strategy. 'Divide and rule is part of the BJP's playbook... This is pure politics... This mentality of the BJP's MP represents the entire BJP; this does not represent North India,' he said. (ANI)