Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said Marathi will be given priority in the state while stressing that people speaking other languages should not face discrimination, amid concerns over the requirement for passenger transport drivers to learn Marathi to obtain and retain their licences.
Every mother tongue should be respected, but at the same time, all Indian languages should also be respected.
“We have never believed that languages should become a means of conflict,” Fadnavis said, adding that the BJP and the Mahayuti government had never allowed anyone to be treated unfairly on the basis of language. The chief minister said that the government’s position was to respect regional identity as well as every Indian language. Clarifying the BJP-led state government’s position, he said, “Regional identity should be respected. Fadnavis said the requirement had been portrayed as an attempt to impose Marathi. While, he said the requirement involved only basic phrases that drivers could use while interacting with passengers. “Marathi will be our mother, and the other languages will be our aunts,” Fadnavis said. State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has said passenger transport vehicle drivers need a working knowledge of Marathi to ensure effective communication with commuters.
