Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray attacks ‘outsiders’, govt pushes back

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has strongly opposed the state government’s decision to require taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers from outside Maharashtra to learn Marathi, escalating his rhetoric against migrant workers.

Speaking at a lecture series in Pune on Thursday, 30 April, Thackeray questioned how such drivers could “dare” not to speak Marathi, and suggested that only the MNS’s trademark “bamboo-style” tactics keep them in check. He also called on Marathi-speaking people to unite against “outsiders”.

Thackeray’s remarks have intensified political tensions, with concerns that the situation could deteriorate across the state, including Mumbai. His statements are being seen as a direct challenge to the government.

Responding sharply, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said violence in the name of language would not be tolerated. “Raising the issue of language through violence is not Maharashtra’s culture,” he said, invoking the inclusive ethos associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He added that harbouring hostility towards outsiders was wrong, even as there was broad agreement that people in the state should learn Marathi.

Fadnavis also questioned Thackeray’s own contribution to promoting the language and cautioned against politicising the issue.

The row has been fuelled by the government’s move to make Marathi mandatory for taxi and auto drivers. Thackeray has adopted an aggressive stance around the issue, positioning it at the centre of his politics. However, the government has set a deadline of 15 August for drivers to learn the language, a move seen as a setback for the MNS’s campaign.

Thackeray has continued to mobilise support on linguistic lines, alleging that migrants are being encouraged at the expense of locals. He criticised the policy of teaching Marathi to outsiders, remarking that “today they are being taught Marathi, tomorrow they will be seen receiving Marathi awards”.

Using a metaphor, he said, “Where the soil is soft, rats burrow easily; that cannot happen with a rock,” adding that Marathi people must become “as strong as a rock”.

Fadnavis, however, reiterated that Maharashtra belongs to everyone and described the effort to encourage learning Marathi as a positive and inclusive step.