Mumbai commuters bear the brunt as Marathi rule sparks autorickshaw strike

Commuters struggled to reach railway stations and their workplaces as autorickshaws refused to ply in Bandra, Kandivali, Govandi, Vakola and Kurla.

Mumbai’s commuters found themselves caught in the crossfire of language politics on Monday, as autorickshaw drivers spontaneously stayed off the roads over enforcement of the Marathi language requirement in the state.

Parked autorickshaws on a road at the Gazdar Bandh area in Santacruz. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Commuters struggled to reach railway stations and their workplaces as autorickshaws refused to ply in Bandra, Kandivali, Govandi, Vakola, Kurla, Andheri and Santacruz. In some places, protesting auto drivers stopped autos that were plying and asked drivers to end their rides.

Drivers oppose Marathi language enforcement

Auto and taxi drivers, who form a critical component of Mumbai’s public transport system, are furious as the Regional Transport Office (RTO) steps up enforcement of the state government’s new Marathi language policy for them.

The BJP-led Mahayuti government, in keeping with its sons-of-the-soil policy, or Marathi Manoos stand, has mandated that drivers have a working knowledge of Marathi. The government has also been holding Marathi training sessions for them.

However, a majority of Mumbai’s 5,00,000 to 7,00,000 auto and taxi drivers are North Indians and are not conversant in Marathi. They point out that Mumbai’s commuters have always been comfortable conversing with them in Hindi and are dismayed at the politically driven agenda, which has them struggling.

Akhilesh Yadav questions language requirement

Batting for Mumbai’s auto and taxi drivers is Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who said on Monday that no language should be politicised. Yadav also wondered whether imposing language requirements on the drivers violates the constitutional right to livelihood in India.

Pratap Sarnaik hits back at Akhilesh

State transport minister Pratap Sarnaik hit back at Yadav, saying he should focus on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections and not on Maharashtra’s politics. Sarnaik, a senior Shiv Sena leader, pulled no punches. He claimed neither Akhilesh nor his father, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, had failed to generate employment in Uttar Pradesh during their tenures as chief ministers. “That’s why people from their state were forced to migrate to Maharashtra and other places,” said Sarnaik.

“Maharashtra has provided a livelihood to North Indians for decades and has accommodated people from all over India. It is the responsibility of every Indian to respect Maharashtra’s pride and culture. Yadav should not politicise the issue for electoral gains in Uttar Pradesh.” he said.

Maharashtra CM reacts

Joining the politically charged discourse on Monday was Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “We are not trying to make our Hindi-speaking auto-taxi drive -brothers experts in Marathi but they should have a working knowledge of Marathi,” he insisted. “Efforts are being made to help them learn the language. The deadline has been extended three times. Our Mahayuti government will not allow injustices based on language,” said Fadnavis.

Drivers obstruct autos in Kandivali

As politicians traded accusations, auto drivers were determined to hold their own on Monday. Among the pockets where drivers were on strike was MG Road in Kandivali (west). Here, drivers who did ply their autos were obstructed from operating their vehicles. A case was registered with the police against four individuals.

RTO issues notices to drivers

However, the unions representing auto drivers distanced themselves from the protest. Mumbai Autorickshaw-Taximen’s Union president Shashank Rao said neither did his union nor any other recognised union call for a strike. K K Tiwari, a taxi union leader, said the protest appeared to have been triggered by a message circulated on Facebook claiming there would be a shutdown on August 24. Mumbai Rickshawmen’s Union general secretary Thambi Kurian too said the union had not given a strike call.

However, panic is spreading among drivers as the RTO steps up its language enforcement drive. Flying squads began roadside inspections in Mumbai last week, serving notices to 422 drivers who were unable to demonstrate practical knowledge of Marathi. Union representatives said more than 3,000 notices were issued across the state.

Drivers unable to speak Marathi will be served a notice, giving them a month to acquire practical knowledge of the language. If they fail a language test after that, their permits will be suspended for three months. If they fail a second test, their permits will be cancelled.

Several drivers on Monday alleged that RTO personnel were quizzing them with questions that were not part of the training material. Some also alleged they were threatened with fines of ₹10,000 or more. The RTO has denied these allegations, saying no penalty is being levied at this stage. A senior transport department official said: “Some people are mixing other mandatory default fines with notices issued over Marathi language. No fines are being levied for not knowing Marathi.”

Drivers who have completed the state-sponsored Marathi training are also struggling to obtain certificates. “We attended the classes because the government told us to. Now getting the certificate has become another struggle,” said an autorickshaw driver. “We stand in queues for six or seven hours and sometimes return without the certificate. For a daily wage driver, every day lost at the RTO means lost income.”