Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 6: Amidst the on-going language row over the alleged imposition of Hindi on the southern states, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader has kicked up a fresh controversy over learning of Marathi language for the people living in Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra with the opposition leaders demanding that he be tried for “treason.”
As the uproar over Suresh ‘Bhaiyyaji’ Joshi’s “Mumbai has many languages” remark refused to die down, the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday rejected the RSS leader’s contention said Marathi was the language of the state and also of Mumbai which was in Maharashtra and everyone should learn it.
Mr Fadnavis made the statement after Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Bhaskar Jadhav demanded that the state government clear its stand on Mr Joshi’s remarks and Marathi’s place in Maharashtra and the UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and the party spokesman Sanjay Raut demanding that Mr Joshi should be booked for “treason” for his statement on languages in Mumbai.
Speaking at a Ghatkopar event on Wednesday, Mr Joshi had said, “Mumbai doesn’t have a single language. Each part of Mumbai has a different language. Ghatkopar area’s language is Gujarati. In Girgaum, you will have fewer Hindi speakers and more Marathi speakers. So if you are residing in Mumbai, it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi.”
The RSS leader on Thursday claimed that the row over his remarks was due to a misunderstanding. The remarks sparked a row as Opposition parties Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) targeted the BJP government and demanded that it come clear.
In his response on Thursday, Mr Fadnavis said in the Assembly, “I haven’t heard what Bhaiyyaji said, but the language of Mumbai and Maharashtra is Marathi. Everyone should learn Marathi and should speak the language.” The Chief Minister said his government respects other languages too. “If you love and respect your language, you do the same for other languages. I am sure Bhaiyyaji will agree with me,” he said.
Opposition parties Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) attacked the BJP government over Joshi’s comments. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut accused Joshi of insulting Maharashtra and said his remark amounted to treason. “Marathi is our state language and such a statement amounts to treason. The statement is a treason,” he told the media. “He came to Mumbai and said its language is not Marathi. Should the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers tolerate this?” Mr Raut asked. Mr Thackeray led a party protest at Hutatma Chowk today to protest the RSS leader’s remarks.
Mr Thackeray said a sedition case should be filed against the RSS leader for his remarks while adding that this is the hidden agenda of BJP and the RSS. “Just as the Chief Minister said in the Legislative Council that Kortkar is a petty man, he should also say that Bhaiyyaji Joshi is a petty man. A case of sedition should be filed against Bhaiyyaji Joshi,” Thackeray said. He also alleged that Joshi’s remarks reflect the hidden agenda of the RSS and the BJP to divide Mumbai.
Thackeray dared Joshi to make such statements in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and come back safely. Just because “Marathi manoos” is welcoming, does not mean anyone can hit him, he added.
“The BJP has no regards for Marathi manoos because it knows he is going to vote for them. This is a sadist mentality which has come to the fore. This is a ploy to break Mumbai,” the Sena (UBT) leader claimed. “He should be booked for treason. I had made a law (in capacity as CM) to make Marathi compulsory in the state. This (his remarks) is against the law,” he said.
His son and MLA Aaditya Thackeray said, “Whether it’s Maharashtra’s language or Mumbai’s language, it is Marathi. Many people come to our state from different regions, settle here, and bring their dreams with them. They contribute, they grow, and everyone is welcome. But the language of this land, of Mumbai, of Maharashtra, is Marathi. Just as Tamil is the language of Tamil Nadu and Kannada is the language of Karnataka, I want to emphasise that Marathi is the language of Maharashtra…”
Amid the row over his remarks, Mr Joshi has said the row was caused by some “misunderstanding.” “Due to one of my statements, a misunderstanding has occurred. The language of Maharashtra is Marathi. Mumbai is in Maharashtra and naturally, the language of Mumbai is Marathi. Different languages are spoken in India. People speaking different languages live in Mumbai as well. So, it is a natural expectation that they should also come here and learn Marathi, understand Marathi and read Marathi.”
“I think that this is a great example of co-existence that people speaking so many different languages in India live together. I think that Mumbai is also an ideal example of this. But there is a natural expectation that a person coming to Mumbai should understand Marathi, speak Marathi, learn Marathi, read Marathi. This is the only expectation. I have nothing more to say than this… My mother tongue is Marathi. But I also respect the existence of all languages… I request everyone to see it from the same perspective,” he said.
