After facing backlash from INDIA bloc leaders in Maharashtra, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi on Thursday took a u-turn from his statement on the Marathi language that triggered a controversy.
“Mumbai has a different language. Ghatkopar area’s language is Gujarati. So if you are residing in Mumbai, it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi,” the RSS leader had said at an event in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar on Wednesday.
Stating that his remarks are being misinterpreted, Joshi told news agency PTI, “Marathi is the language of Maharashtra and Marathi is also a language of Mumbai because the city is a part of Maharashtra. There should be no confusion about it. In India, people who speak different languages stay together and this is the speciality of the country. In Mumbai, people from several parts of the country stay, and we want them to learn and speak Marathi.”
The RSS leader’s statement drew massive criticism from Opposition leaders.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray hit out at the RSS leader saying Joshi’s statement reveals BJP and its ideological mentor’s hidden agenda. He also demanded that a sedition case should be filed against him.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has responded to the RSS leader’s remark in the state Assembly and made it clear that “Marathi is the language of Mumbai, Maharashtra and the state government.”
“The Marathi language is a part of the culture and identity of the state, and it should be the duty of every citizen to learn it. The Marathi language will be respected and preserved in Maharashtra, and it is an integral part of our cultural heritage,” Maharashtra CM said.
