Ramdas Athawale Criticizes Raj Thackeray’s Marathi Language Push in Mumbai

By A Staff Reporter

Latur, Maharashtra: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has strongly criticized Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray’s call for pressuring people in Mumbai to learn and speak Marathi. Athawale, while acknowledging the importance of Marathi in the state, condemned any form of coercion, describing it as “dadagiri” (bullying).

“Mumbai is the economic capital of India and people from different parts of the country live here. It is true that they should learn Marathi. But it is not right to pressurise them,” Athawale said, addressing a gathering in Latur. He also emphasized the significance of Hindi as India’s national language, arguing that the push for Marathi should not override the multilingual nature of Mumbai.

Referring to Raj Thackeray’s earlier statements on the matter, Athawale remarked, “It is not right for Raj Thackeray to say that if you do not know Marathi, then pressurise them to speak Marathi... It is not right to do 'dadagiri'.” He further clarified that English, not Marathi, is the dominant language in financial sectors, particularly in banking.

“The state government should pay attention to this and take steps to stop this 'dadagiri',” he urged, calling for a balanced approach in promoting regional languages without undermining the rights of non-Marathi speakers.