The son or daughter-of-the-soil politics in Mumbai, so far restricted to humans, has taken an interesting turn with BJP leaders demanding that Penguin chicks born in a city zoo be given Marathi names, arguing that the flightless birds are domiciled in Maharashtra by birth. 

While a protest by BJP workers appeared to be about identity politics ahead of elections to the Mumbai civic body, it highlighted the classical language status of the Marathi language to justify naming Penguin chicks, according to news agency PTI. 

BJP leader from the Byculla Assembly constituency, Nitin Bankar, led the demonstration.