Key Points

Minister Pratap Sarnaik, while addressing an event organised on the occasion of Hindi Patrakarita Diwas in Mumbai on Saturday, said, “Hindi has become the language of speaking in Mumbai”. He also said that Marathi is his mother tongue, while Hindi is “ladki bahin” (beloved sister), who helped secure 237 seats in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha.

The statement has been criticised by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). In its hard-hitting editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Thackeray group claimed the Shinde faction, which considers itself the heirs of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, has become the pawns of the BJP. “The BJP people do not leave a single opportunity to weaken Maharashtra, humiliate the Marathi language and the Marathi people. Therefore, the Shinde camp, a dependent of the BJP, is also repeating the BJP's anti-Marathi stance.”

“The ministers concerned should be dismissed for insulting the Marathi language and Maharashtra like this. Did 107 martyrs sacrifice their lives in the Samyukta Maharashtra struggle just to hear that Mumbai's language is not Marathi? But Mumbai and Maharashtra are currently ruled by traders and builders, and our Marathi language is being crushed under their bulldozers," said the editorial.

“When I come to Mira-Bhayander areas, Hindi automatically comes out of my mouth. Because the language of this area is Hindi, and you all vote for me," said the minister of the Marathi state. Does this Marathi fit into the official language policy? The official language of Maharashtra is Marathi, and now Marathi has been made mandatory in the central establishments in Maharashtra as well. This is not a policy for Maharashtra only. Those living in Bengal will have to learn Bengali, those living in Gujarat will have to learn Gujarati, and those living in the North will have to learn Hindi and deal with that language in that state. Being proud of our mother tongue or official language does not mean that we hate other language sisters. As soon as Pratap Sarnaik showered love on Hindi, BJP President Bawankule came to his aid. "Don't forget that we have given Marathi the status of a classical language," he said. Have your ministers been given the licence to insult Marathi by giving this status?" asked the Thackeray camp.

"Have you been given permission to accommodate foreigners under the Marathi umbrella? Answer this first. Maharashtra has a population of 11.5 crore, and about nine crore of them speak Marathi. They do business in Marathi. Don't the ministers of the Shinde group know that there is a law that says that Marathi is the only official language of the state of Maharashtra, and everyone living here must know Marathi?" asked the editorial.

"Marathi language is the language of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Veer Savarkar, Lokmanya Tilak and the Hindu Hrudaysamrat Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray," said the editorial.

A few days ago, a leader of the RSS leader Bhaiyaji Joshi, visited Ghatkopar and mutually declared that the language of Ghatkopar is Gujarati. "When there was an uproar in Mumbai over this, Joshi clarified. Sarnaik and his leaders did not even show that much courtesy," claimed the editorial.

"Shiv Sena was formed so that the Marathi people of Mumbai can live with dignity, and the Marathi language remains respected. Shiv Sena has been fighting many Marathi battles for 50 years. The Shinde faction has been working to tarnish Balasaheb Thackeray’s struggle for the growth of the Marathi language, which is the language of the farmers of Maharashtra, the working people of Mumbai and the mill workers,” said the editorial.

"Someone should tell all these BJP supporters that Marathi pride cannot be bought with corruption and contractors' money. Marathi is the language of every corner of Maharashtra. Ghatkopar and Mira-Bhayander have not been torn apart and thrown out of Maharashtra, and private builders have not made them independent, autonomous states. Maharashtra is and will remain intact. No matter how many raids the BJP conducts and no matter how much the Shinde faction people try to force Mumbai down the throats of the builders, every particle of Marathi soil will erupt like a volcano. The BJP's East India Company (Surat) has already sold Mumbai. The hypocrites, who call themselves the heirs of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, will definitely expel Marathi people from Mumbai when they become partners of this East India Company. Saying that the language of Mumbai is not Marathi is just the beginning. Marathi people will have to fight," said the editorial.

- IANS