Will not tolerate violence in the name of Marathi, says CM

Fadnavis was speaking on Friday against the backdrop of the recent controversy on all taxi and autorickshaw drivers being required to have working knowledge of Marathi if they didn’t already, before the state transport department walked back its directive

MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis says that while the state takes pride in Marathi, its native language, violence in the name of language is unacceptable. He said Maharashtra has never been “narrow-minded” about people migrating to the state and stressed that the government will encourage non-native residents to learn Marathi as it is the only way forward.

Thane, India - May -01 2026: After the Maharashtra Transport Ministry made Marathi language mandatory for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across the state, introducing a new rule that every non-native driver must know Marathi, the Thane BJP Workers has launched a seven-day Marathi language training campaign for migrant rickshaw drivers. Non-native auto-rickshaw drivers were seen attending the first day of Marathi language classes during the initiative,in Thane ,in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, May -01, 2026. ( photo by Praful Gangurde / Hindustan Times )

Fadnavis was speaking on Friday against the backdrop of the recent controversy on all taxi and autorickshaw drivers being required to have working knowledge of Marathi if they didn’t already, before the state transport department walked back its directive.

“As far as language is concerned, one should be proud of one’s mother tongue. We should all be proud of our mother tongue, Marathi. All those residing in Maharashtra must learn Marathi. I believe people will make efforts to learn it, and we will also try to teach those who have not yet made an attempt,” he said.

He also condemned any coercion or violence over language. “Violence and disputes in the name of language and beating someone just because they cannot speak our language, are not acceptable to us,” he stressed.

Fadnavis was responding to remarks made by MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who suggested that residents of Maharashtra should become “assertive” about Marathi and lamented “deliberate attempts” to prevent people from uniting for the cause. “From where do autorickshaw drivers get the courage to refuse to speak in Marathi? Would they dare to do the same in Tamil Nadu or West Bengal,” Thackeray had asked while speaking at a lecture organised by Vasant Vyakhyanmala in Pune on Thursday.

Fadnavis took a jibe at Thackeray, saying, “First of all, Maharashtra has never been so narrow-minded that migrants from other states should not reside here and only certain types of people should stay in the state. Maharashtra has never encouraged such a mindset,” he remarked.

The chief minister also highlighted the pride associated with linguistic identity, noting that Marathi-speaking people have made their mark beyond the state. “I am extremely happy to see Marathi individuals securing a prominent space in other states and proudly promoting their culture,” he said.