"Everyone has to speak Marathi in Maharashtra": Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 17 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that speaking Marathi was mandatory in the state, emphasising the government's move to make the language compulsory in line with the implementation of the new education policy.
Speaking to reporters while attending the Mumbai Metro Line 7a tunnel breakthrough, Fadnavis spoke about the New Education Policy, stating, "We have already implemented the new education policy... As per the policy, we are attempting that everyone should know Marathi as well as the language of the country."
He said that the policy encourages the use of one common communicable language across the country, and in Maharashtra, the government has already taken steps to ensure the use of Marathi.
"With this, the centre ideated this policy so that there would be one communicable language in the country... However, in Maharashtra, we have already decided to make Marathi compulsory. Everyone has to speak Marathi in Maharashtra, but they can learn any other language if they want to," the Maharashtra Chief Minister said.
The statement comes amid ongoing discussions on language use and linguistic policies in different states.
In Maharashtra, cases of vandalism and harassment by politically backed groups were reported towards the non-Marathi speaking crowd.
Earlier on April 2, Fadnavis stated that while there is nothing wrong with agitating for the promotion of the Marathi language in Maharashtra, it should remain within the bounds of the law.
Fadnavis further warned that any individual or group resorting to unlawful actions would face appropriate legal consequences.
This statement came in the wake of an incident in which a security guard was allegedly assaulted by MNS workers for allegedly disrespecting the Marathi language.
Meanwhile, following this incident, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray asked his party workers to halt the agitation demanding mandatory use of the Marathi language in banks and other establishments across the state, as per an official statement from MNS. (ANI)