Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam has once again made a big statement about the importance of Marathi language. He clearly said that speaking Marathi is mandatory in Maharashtra and strict legal action will be taken against those who insult it. This statement has come after the incident of assault on a food stall owner in Thane. The video of which is going viral on social media. This incident has again fueled the language controversy in Maharashtra. Where political and social debate has intensified regarding Marathi identity and the use of Hindi. This statement of Yogesh Kadam has not only caught the attention of the local people, but has also given the opposition parties an opportunity to attack the government.
Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam while talking to the media in Thane said, “In Maharashtra you have to speak Marathi. If you do not know Marathi, then your attitude should not be that you will not speak Marathi.” He further warned that, “If someone insults Marathi in Maharashtra, then we will implement our laws.”
After a video of a food stall owner being assaulted in Thane went viral on social media, some people were seen allegedly beating the shopkeeper for not speaking Marathi. Following the incident, the Thane police registered an FIR under various sections of the Indian Justice Code and started investigating the case. The incident has further intensified the ongoing debate over the use of the Marathi language.
After this statement, opposition parties targeted Yogesh Kadam and the Maharashtra government, with some leaders saying that the government is promoting violence in the name of Marathi. While others have termed it a political drama by linking it to the upcoming BMC elections. On the other hand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amrita Fadnavis has advocated the inclusion of Hindi in the school curriculum. Due to which this controversy has become more complicated.
