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Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Wednesday said speaking Marathi in the state is a must and warned that any perceived disrespect to the language would invite legal consequences. Yogesh Kadam’s statement comments came amid outrage over a viral video showing a food stall owner in Thane being assaulted for allegedly refusing to speak in Marathi.
“In Maharashtra, you have to speak Marathi. If you don’t know Marathi, your attitude shouldn’t be that you won’t speak Marathi,” Yogesh Kadam told reporters.
“If anyone disrespects Marathi in Maharashtra, we will enforce our laws,” the minister said.
Kadam, however, also criticised the manner in which the incident unfolded. “Those who beat up the shopkeeper should not have taken the law into their own hands. They should have filed a complaint. Action would have been taken,” he added.
The incident took place in the Bhayander area on Tuesday evening and sparked widespread outrage after a video went viral. In the footage, several men — some wearing scarves bearing the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) symbol — are seen confronting and assaulting the food vendor after he reportedly failed to respond in Marathi when asked.
While purchasing food, one of them asked the stall owner to speak in Marathi, to which he questioned them back.
This annoyed the man, who shouted at the stall owner. Some others who were with the man joined him and slapped the stall owner, a police official said.
Based on the stall owner’s complaint, the Kashimira Police registered an FIR against the persons under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and a probe was on into the case.
Members of the MNS, led by Raj Thackeray, have been trying to push for the use of Marathi language in commercial establishments and banks in the state.
Hindi should be part of curriculum: Maharashtra CM’s wife
The incident also comes at a time when the language debate has resurfaced in Maharashtra. On Wednesday, Amruta Fadnavis — wife of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis — said Hindi should be part of the school curriculum, as it helps connect people across regions.
Her comment follows the state government’s recent withdrawal of a decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language from Class 1 to 5, after backlash from opposition parties and Marathi language advocacy groups.
