New Delhi [India], July 25 : Weighing in on the language row in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said there is nothing wrong with requesting someone to speak in Marathi. However, he added that his government will not tolerate manhandling anyone in the name of language.
"It is natural that the Marathi language will be requested to be spoken in Maharashtra. This is not wrong," Fadnavis told reporters in Delhi on Thursday.
"But any controversy over language, or manhandling anyone over the language, will not be tolerated. We have taken strict action when any such incident has taken place. If anyone attempts to do any such thing, we will take action," he added.
These remarks come amid heated debates in Maharashtra over the alleged "imposition" of Hindi and the choice of medium of instruction in schools.
The controversy in the State began with a government resolution issued on April 16, mandating the introduction of Hindi as a third language from Classes 1 to 5. The move drew sharp criticism, with many accusing the state government of attempting to impose Hindi.
Earlier this week, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan urged people to refrain from spreading hatred based on linguistic differences, warning that such attitudes could harm the state in the long run.
Sharing a personal experience from his time as an MP in Tamil Nadu, the Maharashtra Governor had said, "...one day I saw some people beating someone. When I asked them about the problem, they were speaking in Hindi. Then, the hotel owner told me that they don't speak Tamil, and people were beating them to speak Tamil."
He added, "If we spread this kind of hatred, then who will come and invest...? In the long run, we are only harming Maharashtra. I'm unable to understand Hindi, and that is an obstacle for me. We must learn the maximum number of languages, and we should be proud of our mother tongue."
The language row has resulted in sporadic violence in the state, including assaults on Hindi-speaking individuals by political workers.