The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti has demanded that the Maharashtra government withdraw the one-year extension granted to rickshaw, taxi and private app-based vehicle drivers to learn Marathi, staging a protest at Hutatma Chowk in south Mumbai on Sunday.
According to a report by Loksatta, hundreds of participants from Mumbai, its suburbs, Vasai-Virar, Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai and neighbouring areas attended the protest. Participants paid tribute to the 107 martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and raised slogans supporting Marathi and its implementation as the state’s official language.
The organisation said the extension represented an unacceptable relaxation in the implementation of the Marathi language requirement. It called on the government to reconsider the decision while taking into account the sentiments of Marathi-speaking residents and the status of Marathi as Maharashtra’s official language.
The committee said a delegation would meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde within two days. It plans to submit a memorandum seeking immediate withdrawal of the extension.
The dispute affects a large segment of Mumbai’s point-to-point transport network, including traditional autorickshaws, taxis and app-based vehicles. The supplied report does not provide the text of the government order, the original deadline, the precise language-testing requirements or the administration’s response to the protest.
The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti also warned that it could challenge the extension in court if the government does not take what it considers a satisfactory decision. The organisation said it would examine the legal validity, implementation process and administrative aspects of the government’s decision before pursuing a constitutional and legal challenge.
