Mumbai, Correspondent
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here today that Hindi-speaking autorickshaw and taxi drivers hailing from North India need to know only basic Marathi.
He explained that his government's stand on mandatory use of Marathi for auto drivers is not intended to make them experts in the Marathi language, saying that the government had already given the drivers enough time to learn to speak the Marathi language. He also clarified that no driver’s licence has been revoked.
“There is no reason to make them experts in Marathi. They should know how to speak basic and passable Marathi. That is our only request. There’s no strictness about it. We are simply trying to teach them the Marathi language,” Fadnavis told media persons.
Fadnavis said that the time has been extended earlier also and if the drivers demand extension of the deadline in future also, then it will be extended.
However, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader and State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik stated that if drivers fail to learn passable Marathi within a month, their licences as well as badges will be suspended, and they will be given three more months to learn Marathi.
“If they fail to do so after three months, their licences will be revoked,” Sarnaik said.
The statement by Fadnavis came after the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) put up banners and posters at Charkop addressing Hindi-speaking auto and taxi drivers, “If you feel inferior in learning and speaking Marathi, then go back to your state,” after a Marathi-speaking auto driver was allegedly thrashed by a group of Hindi-speaking auto drivers on Monday, near the Croma showroom in Kandivali West, and broke the wipers of his vehicle.
This led to the Marathi-speaking auto driver, who suffered minor injuries due to the assault, demanding action against the alleged culprits, after which the MNS warned that if there is an attempt to threaten the movement of passengers through strikes and protests by Hindi-speaking auto drivers, the MNS will not remain silent.
Meanwhile, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam and former MP, who hails from Bihar, sent a memorandum to Shinde-led Sena’s Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik today demanding that licences of Hindi-speaking auto drivers who have not yet learned to speak Marathi language should be extended, without cancelling them.
Nirupam's memorandum to his party colleague and Transport Minister Sarnaik also stated that the government must keep the “human and social perspective” in mind while enforcing the law that all auto and taxi drivers in Maharashtra must know to speak the Marathi language.
Nirupam’s memorandum to Sarnaik has demanded that an extension of the deadline for Hindi-speaking auto and taxi drivers to learn the Marathi language and that their driving licences must not be revoked simply because they have not learnt to speak the Marathi language.
“We completely agree with the position that every citizen living in Maharashtra must know the Marathi language. Responding to the government’s appeal, about 85 per cent of auto drivers have ‘mastered’ the Marathi language, which is commendable. However, it is wrong to take action against a remaining minority of auto drivers through raids and notices to cancel their driving licences after the expiry of the August 15 deadline,” Nirupam’s memorandum to his party colleague and Transport Minister Sarnaik stated.
Nirupam's memorandum to Sarnaik also demanded setting up of training centres at every RTO office, to impart free Marathi language training regularly as well as provide free study materials to aspiring drivers.
His memorandum also demanded that the implementation of the government campaign for Marathi language must be through training, communication and encouragement, instead of punitive action.
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