New Delhi, June 26 Union Minister Ramdas Athawale came out strongly in support of Hindi as a national language, while taking a jibe at Maharashtra leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray for politicising the language issue.
Speaking to IANS in Mumbai, Athawale called the opposition to Hindi “unconstitutional” and urged the Maharashtra government not to bow to political pressure.
Reacting to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s call for a massive protest on June 6 against the imposition of Hindi in schools, Athawale said, “Raj Thackeray is the head of a political party and has the right to protest in a democracy. But Hindi is our national language. Opposing Hindi is like opposing the Constitution. We respect Marathi, but teaching Hindi in one or two subjects won’t harm anyone.”
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's announcement of a July 7 protest and his allegations that the BJP is using language policy as propaganda, Athawale dismissed the claims.
“There is no BJP propaganda. This is the agenda of the Constitution. Every state has its language — Tamil, Odia, Bengali — all are respected. But Hindi is a common language spoken across many states. Uddhav and Raj should not oppose it.”
Commenting on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s decision not to sign the SCO summit declaration due to the omission of references to terrorism, Athawale supported the move.
“Rajnath Singh is a big leader. What happened in Pahalgam and Pakistan’s role should have been included in that document. He did the right thing by refusing to sign,” he said.
On Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praising PM Modi and being criticised by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Athawale remarked, “When it comes to national security, everyone should back the PM. Tharoor is a senior leader and rightly appreciated Operation Sindoor. But Rahul Gandhi and Kharge don’t like PM Modi, and that’s why they are opposing Operation Sindoor."
Responding to Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of unfair elections in Maharashtra, Athawale said, “There was no rigging. Voter turnout increased; it was a natural phenomenon. Rahul Gandhi is spreading lies without any basis.”
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