Soon, Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi may be able to respond to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s verbal attacks in his own language.

Azmi, days after being beaten up for taking oath in Marathi and being felicitated by his party for ‘upholding the honour of Hindi’, has now decided to learn Marathi.

“I have hired a tutor,” Azmi said. The Samajwadi Party Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Mankhurd said it was necessary for an MLA from Maharashtra to know Marathi but insisted that he would speak in Hindi in the state Assembly.

“I respect Marathi. It is close to my heart but I will speak in Hindi as it is our national language and the Constitution gives me the right to speak in that language.”

Azmi, who returned from Lucknow, spoke a few lines in Marathi at Bhiwandi where he had gone to attend a party function. “Majha jevan jahalay (I have had my lunch),” he told mediapersons.