'Insistence On Marathi Natural, But Manhandling Over Language Won't Be Tolerated': Fadnavis
Maharashtra CM stressed that language should be a bridge, never a weapon
Amid a language war in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that language cannot be a means of discord and a Marathi person can never be narrow-minded on such issues.
Speaking at the inauguration of two special centres at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Fadnavis said his government's policy has been Marathi along with other Indian languages, even as parts of Mumbai were rocked by violent protests against the 'imposition of Hindi" in Maharashtra.
'Language is a means of communication, but never of discord. Mother tongue is important. Every Marathi person is proud of the Marathi language. Insistence on Marathi is natural and justified, but we should also respect other Indian languages," he said.
Fadnavis was speaking at a function to inaugurate the Kusumagraj Special Centre for Marathi Language, Literature and Culture and the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Special Centre for Security and Strategic Studies at the JNU.
'The debate is not Marathi versus Hindi. There is no alternative to Marathi. A Marathi person has to accept Marathi. But our policy is Marathi along with other Indian languages. We should learn Marathi and also know other languages," he said.
'I say time and again, a Marathi person can never be narrow-minded. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj never taught us to be narrow-minded. Sant Dyaneshwar prayed for the welfare of the entire world and not just his followers," the chief minister added.
He confirmed that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji would be installed at the JNU campus, with the university's Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit supporting the proposal.
The Maharashtra government's decision to introduce a three-language formula in primary schools led to protests by Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) over the 'imposition of Hindi".
The state government rolled back its decision, but the issue united the estranged Thackeray cousins, who claimed to have joined hands for the cause of Marathi.
(With inputs from PTI)
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First Published:
July 24, 2025, 23:01 IST
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