Marathi Will Get Priority, But Others Won't Face Discrimination, Says Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said Marathi will be given priority in the state while maintaining that people who speak other languages should not face discrimination. His remarks came amid a debate over a Maharashtra transport department rule requiring passenger transport drivers to have a working knowledge of Marathi to obtain or retain their driving licences. Fadnavis said the state government's position was to respect Maharashtra's regional identity while also respecting other Indian languages.

“We have never believed that languages should become a means of conflict,” Fadnavis said, adding that the BJP-led Mahayuti government had not allowed people to be treated unfairly on the basis of language. He said regional identity and every person's mother tongue should be respected, while emphasising that Marathi would receive priority because it is Maharashtra's own language. He also said speakers of other languages would not be treated unfairly simply because they spoke a different language.

The comments come after the Maharashtra transport department amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, in August. Under the amended provisions, autorickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers who do not have a working knowledge of Marathi can face suspension of their licences for up to three months from August 18. Repeated violations can result in cancellation of the licence. State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has said the requirement is intended to ensure effective communication between passenger transport drivers and commuters.

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Fadnavis said the language requirement had been portrayed as an attempt to impose Marathi, while describing the prescribed knowledge as basic and functional. He said the syllabus was limited to two pages and involved simple phrases that drivers could use while interacting with passengers. He also said members of Mumbai's taxi and autorickshaw unions who speak Hindi had expressed an interest in learning basic Marathi, although they wanted additional time to do so.

The chief minister also criticised political parties that, according to him, had sought to make language the basis of their politics. His remarks come after Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena held a joint rally on Marathi pride in July. Fadnavis reiterated that Maharashtra's regional identity could be respected without making language a basis for discrimination. He described Marathi as the state's mother tongue while using a metaphor in which other Indian languages were described as part of the same wider linguistic family.

Under the amended transport rules, the requirement applies to passenger transport drivers, including those operating autorickshaws, taxis and app-based cabs. Sarnaik has said the transport department should implement the provisions more effectively and argued that knowledge of the local language helps drivers communicate with passengers and understand their concerns. The issue remains centred on how the Marathi-language requirement is implemented while balancing the state's language policy with the government's stated position that speakers of other languages should not face discrimination.

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