Thackeray, Pawar push Marathi agenda ahead of civic polls

Thackeray laid the foundation stone for Marathi Bhasha Bhavan at Marine Drive on Saturday along with his deputy Ajit Pawar

Mumbai Pushing forward the Marathi agenda ahead of the civic polls, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that he will not tolerate any attempt to wipe out the Marathi identity of Mumbai.

Thackeray said that they will not tolerate any attack on Marathi language and the Marathi-speaking people and added that the attempt to undermine the importance of Marathi people in Mumbai will get a befitting reply (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Thackeray laid the foundation stone for Marathi Bhasha Bhavan at Marine Drive on Saturday. Thackeray and his deputy Ajit Pawar played the Marathi identity card on the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

Thackeray said that they will not tolerate any attack on Marathi language and the Marathi-speaking people and added that the attempt to undermine the importance of Marathi people in Mumbai will get a befitting reply. Meanwhile, Pawar slammed the people who opposed the mandatory Marathi signboards on shops and establishments. The CM also launched a veiled attack on the opposition BJP for the criticism of the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra VIkas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The chief minister said that some people were trying to reduce the importance of Marathi people in Mumbai. “It is unfortunate that the government is compelled to enact laws for the inclusion of Marathi in the school syllabus and putting up signboards on the shops in Marathi. Some are opposing the decision of the Marathi signboards. They want to reduce the importance of Marathi people in our capital city. Marathi manoos will not hesitate to teach them a lesson in a befitting way. We will not tolerate any aggression towards uprooting us. We are neither against any language nor want to suppress any, but one needs to know Marathi in Maharashtra,” Thackeray said. He also pointed out that 106 people had died in the agitation for inclusion of Mumbai in Maharashtra.

Echoing Thackeray, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said, “A few businessmen went to court when we made Marathi boards mandatory, but the court upheld our decision. The opposition to the local language is illogical and unethical. The hatred towards Marathi is unacceptable. The city accommodates everyone, giving an opportunity to rise and prosper. But the people that earn here, send their wealth to their home state and oppose the local language if the government makes it mandatory.”

He was referring to a petition in the Bombay High court by Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association against the recent government decision.

Thackeray also took a dig at the opposition for the criticism and said that his government believes in delivery, unlike the previous government. “The GST Bhavan for which the foundation stone has been laid was just on the drawing board, but we have successfully taken it to the logical end,” he said.

Thackeray also attacked BJP for the criticism against Mumbai police for the action against the party leader. While speaking after the launch of Dial 112 and Ambis, Thackeray said, “The police force has been doing outstanding work and we are standing firm behind them. Some people (opposition BJP) cannot digest the good work done by them and keep calling the police as a mafia to defame them.”

During the past few months, the Thackeray government has taken decisions to push its Marathi agenda. It includes a recent legislation to make Marathi signboards compulsory for shops and commercial establishments in the state.

The Sena, which was founded by late Bal Thackeray to “safeguard the interests of Marathi manoos”, banks on the support of the Marathi population to win the civic bodies in Mumbai and other cities. With the BJP putting up a strong opposition, the ruling party is trying to consolidate its Marathi support base.

Shiv Sena faces a fierce challenge from BJP in the urban local bodies including Mumbai and Thane. The tussle between the two parties is expected to intensify further. The BJP criticised the MVA government for not inviting the leader of opposition for the launch of Metro-2A and Metro-7 on Friday.

Thackeray and Pawar also laid the foundation stone for the GST Bhavan at Wadala and inaugurated the Dial 112 and Ambis for strengthening the police force on Saturday.