The non-Marathi auto-rickshaw drivers on Monday held a rasta-roko protest after the Transport Department launched a crackdown to enforce the decision to make Marathi a mandatory language for them. The drivers staged the protest in Kandivali West, bringing the traffic and auto-rickshaw services to a halt.
They also claimed that they are being 'harassed' by other drivers since the rule came into force. The protesters alleged that the Marathi-speaking drivers were being stopped and warned to learn the language. The protesting drivers blocked roads on Kandivali Link Road near Laljipada, disrupting traffic during peak hours.
A heavy police force was deployed because of the protest. The protest started at around 9 AM. After getting the information about the protest, the Kandivali police rushed to the spot and engaged with the protesters. The police appealed to resume the rickshaw services. However, many rickshaw drivers kept their vehicles shut as they feared action from the transport department.
The sudden strike by rickshaw drivers has caused great hardship to the commuters who left their homes for work. Many had to resort to buses or other alternative transport mediums to reach their destinations.
Due to the shutdown of rickshaw services, women passengers, senior citizens and office workers have been inconvenienced.
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According to a report by The Indian Express, a non-Marathi driver, Sunil Yadav, said, "We were being constantly harassed and stopped by native Marathi speakers and asked to learn the language by hook or by crook, forcing us to take this step".
Minister clarifies order, assures one-month deadline
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnik reacted to the row and assured that the original order grants a month-long timeframe to the drivers to learn basic Marathi. He assured that before the deadline, no RTO will be allowed to take any action.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also informed that till now 165,600 non-Marathi auto and taxi drivers have voluntarily attended Marathi classes and are learning the language.
Notably, the Marathi language has been made mandatory for rickshaw and taxi drivers in the state, and the transport department is taking action against drivers who do not speak Marathi. The decision was taken after the Mira Bhayandar RTO's on-ground inspection revealed that several auto drivers lacked basic Marathi proficiency.
Accordingly, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik issued an order directing all the drivers to learn basic Marathi. The decision has echoed far across the state to draw reactions from the leaders of the parties of the Hindi belt.
Akhilesh Yadav criticises BJP
Among prominent leaders is Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who posted a video of an auto driver, and wrote: "Every state's mother tongue should be respected and promoted, but no language should be politicised. This creates distance and discord in the country's linguistic and emotional unity."
Targeting the ruling BJP's north Indian leaders, Yadav said, "Are the BJP's North Indian leaders in Mumbai present, or have they gone cold, immersed in corruption?"
"By imposing such a condition of language knowledge, isn't the constitutional right to freedom of doing business across the entire country being violated for someone?" he added.
Union Minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh urged the Maharashtra government to provide a timeframe to the drivers for learning Marathi.
"The government should give people from outside Maharashtra, who are earning their livelihood here, a certain timeframe to learn and speak the local language. I am not saying that one shouldn't know the local language while earning a living in Maharashtra; I certainly believe one should learn it. But they need to be given time," he told news agency ANI.