Happy if I am being made villain for teaching Marathi, says Maha Minister Pratap Sarnaik (AHN Exclusive)

Mumbai, Sep 9 (AHN) Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday remarked that he is happy if the opposition parties are attempting to make him a "villain" for teaching Marathi to auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers in the state.

His reaction comes after the opposition leaders raised objections to the state government's decision to mandate working knowledge of Marathi for all auto-rickshaw, taxi, and app-based cab drivers, while granting them a one-year extension to learn the language.

Speaking exclusively to AHN, Sarnaik said: "First of all, this is not a matter of controversy, nor have I introduced any new law. A rule has existed since 1989 requiring auto or taxi drivers in the private public transport sector to possess a working knowledge of Marathi. By "working knowledge", we simply mean the ability to communicate with customers regarding fares and destinations—nothing more. We have not mandated that one must learn or speak Marathi with 100 per cent fluency, nor is there any written order requiring complete proficiency; the requirement is merely for functional Marathi."

"Previous governments failed to implement this, whereas I have done so," the Minister asserted.

Minister Sarnaik also said that there is no basis for the dispute that someone unable to speak fluent Marathi would be barred from living in Maharashtra or Mumbai.

"The population here comprises people not only from North India but also from South and East India, as well as locals from Maharashtra and Mumbai; thus, it is incorrect to claim that the Maharashtra government is deliberately targeting only people from North India with this measure," he clarified.

Denying the Opposition's allegations that people are being forced to speak the Marathi language, Pratap Sarnaik said: "If opposition parties view me as a villain for teaching Marathi, then I am happy to play that role. In fact, I thank them for it. After all, I am a 'Marathi Manus' (son of the soil). Hundreds of our people sacrificed their lives for the cause of this land and were honoured as martyrs. So, what is wrong if I am striving to teach the Marathi language to people in this very city of Mumbai?"

"If they (Opposition) consider me a villain for taking this decision, then I am proud to be one," he remarked.

Noting that people from other states are driving auto-rickshaws and taxis not just in Mumbai but in various cities across Maharashtra, Minister Sarnaik claimed that the largest number among them hail from North India, "specifically Uttar Pradesh and Bihar".

Attacking the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Sarnaik attributed lack of employment opportunities as the reason for the mass migration to Maharashtra.

"For decades, from Jawaharlal Nehru to the current generation of Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi—members of the Gandhi family were elected from states like Uttar Pradesh and even became Prime Ministers, yet they did nothing for that very region. The Samajwadi Party—led by Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav—did the same; that is why people come to cities like Mumbai to earn a living," the Maharashtra Transport Minister said.

However, he claimed that after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its allies came to power in North Indian states, the influx of people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar into Mumbai has decreased over the last 15–20 years, "though it has not stopped entirely".

Minister Sarnaik questioned saying: "What is wrong with asking those who come to earn in the state, to speak Marathi?"