A controversy has erupted in Maharashtra after senior RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi said it is not necessary for everyone in Mumbai to know Marathi. "Mumbai doesn't have a single language. Each part of Mumbai has a different language. The Ghatkopar area's language is Gujarati. So if you are residing in Mumbai, it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi," speaking at an event in Ghatkopar, Joshi said.
In recent years, concerns over discrimination against Marathi speakers in Mumbai have been raised. Before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the issue of Marathi versus Gujarati had already surfaced in Ghatkopar. There were allegations that Marathi candidates were prevented from campaigning in Gujarati-dominated societies. A company in Andheri issued a job advertisement stating that Marathi candidates would not be considered. A similar controversy erupted in Girgaum. In Mulund, a Marathi woman was reportedly denied housing in a society. In Kalyan, a non-local government employee allegedly assaulted a Marathi family. Political parties like the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and the Shiv Sena had strongly opposed these incidents.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has strongly opposed RSS leader's remark. Thackeray said that people from outside settle in Maharashtra, but the language of the land remains Marathi, just as Tamil is in Tamil Nadu and Kannada is in Karnataka. He accused the BJP of consistently disrespecting Maharashtra. "People from outside come to our state and settle here. However, the language of this land is Marathi, just like Tamil is in Tamil Nadu and Kannada is in Karnataka. The ideology of the BJP is to keep disrespecting Maharashtra," Thackeray said.
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"Yesterday, Suresh Bhaiyya ji said that the language in Ghatkopar could be Gujarati, but this is absolutely not possible. The language of Mumbai is Marathi. This government even halted the Marathi Bhasha Bhavan in Mumbai because they want to disrespect Maharashtra and the Marathi language," Aditya Thackeray added.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also strongly criticised Joshi and accused the RSS of undermining Mumbai’s linguistic identity. "BJP's policymaker and RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi came to Mumbai yesterday and said that Marathi isn't the language of the capital (Mumbai). Who gave him this right? Can you go to Kolkata and say that Bengali isn't their language? Can you go to Lucknow and say this in front of Yogi (Adityanath) that Hindi isn't their language? Can you go to Chennai and say their language isn't Tamil?" Raut said.
Joshi’s remarks come at a time when Tamil Nadu is witnessing a political battle over the 'three-language formula' in the New Education Policy. The ruling DMK and its allies have accused the Centre of attempting to impose Hindi on southern states. The Centre has defended the policy, stating that it aims to improve employment opportunities across regions.