Accusing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray of practising divisive politics, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to register a treason case against him.
"It was on the directions of (Raj) Thackeray only that the legislators of MNS assaulted our party leader Abu Azmi for taking oath in Hindi. The unruly behaviour reflects Thackeray's divisive politics," Yadav told reporters in Varanasi, some 250 km from Lucknow.
"I urge the prime minister to intervene into the matter and take action against Thackeray for degrading politics. I want Manmohan Singh should lodge a treason case against Raj Thackeray," he added.
Yadav said as Hindi is the official language, it is responsibility of every citizen of the country to give it due respect.
"The violent behaviour of MNS legislators shows their and Thackeray's hatred towards our national language. A case of treason should be lodged against all of them," he added.
Mulayam Singh was in Varanasi to meet the family of former party legislator Manoj Rai, who died of cardiac arrest on Monday.