The Union Cabinet’s decision on Thursday to grant classical language status to Marathi, a demand pending since 2013, has sparked a political credit war in the State ahead of Assembly elections due this year.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to X to declare that “Marathi is the pride of India” and “this honor recognizes the rich contribution of Marathi culture in the history of our nation”, the political party spared no time to highlight its efforts to ensure that the language is given. this status.
Responding to the move, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said in X: “Finally, Marathi language has been given the status of a classical language. This fight has been successful. The Maharashtra government is constantly following the Center in this regard.
Working tirelessly: CM
The Shiv Sena chief said the party’s founder, Balasaheb Thackeray, always respected Marathi and his “dream is finally coming true”. He said for many years these demands remained unfulfilled and since becoming the Chief Minister, he is working hard to turn “this dream into a reality”.
Mr Shinde’s deputy and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis described the decision as “a golden moment and a historic day”. He said that he had pursued the demand even before he became the Chief Minister. Mr. Fadnavis held a meeting with Marathi literary figures and artists on Friday and thanked them for their support.
Being declared a classical language means facilitation and funding for teaching Marathi in universities across the country. The move will also generate job opportunities in academic and research fields, and support for Marathi libraries. In addition, the preservation, documentation, and digitization of ancient Marathi texts will generate projects in archiving, translation, publishing, and digital media. It will also lead to setting up research centers in the State and the country, and enable work in Marathi to win national and international awards. The implementation of the decision is expected within two years.
However, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh was quick to point out that the proposal to grant classical language status to Marathi was sent to the Center by party leader Prithviraj Chavan in July 2014 when he was the Chief Minister. The party said the Center is now finally acting amid its “close defeat” in the upcoming elections.
Mr. Ramesh said it was important to consider the sequence of events before the decision of the Union Cabinet. In a post on X, said on May 5, 2024, the party reminded the Prime Minister about the Pathare Committee report sent to the Center by Mr. Chavan in 2014, emphasizing the need to follow the status of a classical language for Marathi. On May 12, the party drew attention to the Centre’s “prolonged silence” on the demand despite efforts to highlight Maharashtra leaders inside and outside Parliament, he said.
On May 13, the Congress publicly promised to grant classical language status to Marathi as part of the INDIA bloc’s campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. Furthermore, on July 9, the Center flag party’s “suspicious attempt to revisit the criteria according to the status of the classical language and the potential impact on the demand of Marathi”, the Congress leader said.
Cong. belated question
On September 26, when the Prime Minister was scheduled to visit Pune, the party again reminded him of its long-standing demand. Then, on October 3, before his “close defeat” in the Assembly elections, the Prime Minister finally acted, waking up from his “long slumber”, Mr Ramesh said. This raises the question: “This is Pradhan Mantriji? (Why are you late, Prime Minister?)”, he said.
The NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress’s partners in the Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition alliance in the state, also highlighted their efforts to achieve the demand. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said that everyone had been working on the demand and was not happy with the decision being taken “a bit late”.
“This decision has come a bit late but the important thing has been done and it will have many benefits for the promotion and development of Marathi,” he told reporters in Pune on Friday.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said it was the BJP’s “old habit” to take credit for everything, but “all governments in the country have worked hard”.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray also claimed credit for the decision, saying that the party had demanded it in the Maharashtra development plan prepared in September 2014. “From time to time, we do this. After waiting for almost 12 years, this status was achieved. This is a moment of joy for me and for my party,” he said in a post on Facebook.
The MNS chief also said that he had settled the demand with Mr. Modi in May this year when he expressed the party’s support for him as the NDA’s PM candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. “Thank you to Narendra Modi and the entire Union Cabinet,” he said.
Published – 05 October 2024 01:42 IST
