Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election on January 15, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that Hindi will not be made compulsory in Maharashtra and said that the government will protect Marathi, Loksatta reported. Shinde made these remarks during the 99th All India Marathi Literature Conference.
‘We are ready to protect Marathi’: Shinde
“We are ready to protect Marathi. It is a matter of joy that Marathi has been given the status of a classical language,” Shinde said, before adding, “Against that backdrop, we are trying to do whatever we can for Marathi. The work of Marathi Bhasha Bhavan will start soon. A language centre has been started in Delhi in the name of Kusumagraj. International Marathi forums have been started in many countries.”
Shinde went on to say that Marathi is not just a language of “communication” but also one with global relevance and reach, Loksatta further reported.
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He further said, “After the success of the 99th All India Marathi Literature Conference in the city of Satara, which was sanctified by the touch of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, now the 100th All India Marathi Literature Conference should be ‘neither past nor future’. The government will provide all possible help for this.”
When the president of the conference, Vishwas Patil, urged the government to set up book stalls at state transport (ST) bus stations in villages to encourage reading and promote the Marathi language, Shinde said that he would see to it.
“I am not just making promises by saying I will do it, I will tell you, I will see it,” Shinde said.
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He assured, “I will tell the transport minister, and that space will be made available to us. We will also follow up on other demands related to the Marathi language.”
BMC Election 2026
The upcoming BMC election 2026 is expected to be closely watched, particularly as the Thackeray brothers – Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) – have announced a joint electoral alliance. The two parties have also unveiled a shared manifesto titled “Vachan Nama”, featuring Uddhav and Raj Thackeray alongside Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray.
Maharashtra will hold civic polls for 29 municipal corporations on January 15, covering major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad, while vote counting is set for the following day. The elections will decide 2,869 seats across 893 wards, with 227 of those seats located in Mumbai. |
