Mumbai, September 9, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has opposed the use of force in promoting Marathi, saying the state should avoid “linguistic politics” while ensuring equal importance and respect for people from all linguistic communities.
His remarks came after the Maharashtra government made working knowledge of Marathi mandatory for auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers, while giving them a one-year extension to learn the language.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS on Wednesday, Sarnaik said Marathi should be encouraged through affection and respect rather than intimidation or violence.
“Trying to achieve results through violence, intimidation, or brandishing sticks will only intimidate poor people and drive them away, while upsetting 98 per cent of the population. One shouldn’t engage in linguistic politics; rather, we should love, respect, and elevate Marathi identity. No one in this country has the right to force people through coercion, and we strongly oppose such methods,” he said.
Sarnaik said 20,000 auto-rickshaw drivers from Borivali and Dahisar had been felicitated after learning Marathi, while another programme is scheduled on September 12 to felicitate 7,000 more drivers.
He said Marathi, Hindi and English are widely spoken in Maharashtra and maintained that language should not become a basis for discrimination. “If someone communicates with me in Hindi, I converse with them in the same language,” he said, adding that rules could be framed for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers but people such as actors, cricketers or passersby could only be requested, not compelled, to speak Marathi.
Sarnaik also pointed to the demographic composition of his constituency, saying around 50 per cent of its residents are Hindi-speaking. He said institutions including Uttar Bharatiya Bhawan, Maithili Samaj Bhawan and Rajasthani Samaj Bhawan had been established despite his identity as a Marathi leader.
He clarified that the emphasis on Marathi was linked to Maharashtra’s identity and culture, while stressing that his political work was focused on development rather than securing Hindi-speaking or Marathi-speaking votes.
“Marathi voters are distributed across all parties. They are in Congress, in BJP, in Shiv Sena, in the UBT faction, in MNS, and in different factions of RPI as well,” he said.
Sarnaik also addressed the controversy surrounding a viral video from a recent Dahi Handi event in Mumbai involving actor Sanjay Dutt. He said Dutt had spoken in Marathi at the event and that his subsequent remark about having spent six years in Yerwada Jail without learning Marathi was made jokingly.
According to Sarnaik, several celebrities, including Suniel Shetty, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanjay Dutt and singer Badshah, attended the event and spoke or performed in Marathi. He said the positive remarks and Marathi-language participation by the other guests received little attention, while the clip involving Dutt’s jail reference went viral.
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