Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Amit Thackeray warned that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers who speak Hindi or behave rudely could face physical retaliation.
MNS leader Amit Thackeray said, "If it comes to our notice that someone (an auto-rickshaw driver) is speaking in Hindi or behaving rudely, then we will beat them. Don't tell people that they have to speak UP's language or that they have to speak Hindi. We will speak in Marathi... We have understood how much affection you (Devendra Fadnavis) have for the Marathi language and for our state."
His remarks came after a controversy over the Maharashtra government's decision to provide commercial passenger-vehicle drivers with a one-year grace period to acquire functional knowledge of Marathi.
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Thackeray added, "You go to Gujarat, you go to Punjab, you go to the South. Everywhere there is an attachment to one's own language. Now, because the UP elections are coming, you are giving a one-year extension. What kind of desperation has come upon you that we should set aside our own language, that we should set aside our own state?"
The original rules provided for punitive action against drivers unable to demonstrate working knowledge of Marathi, including a possible three-month suspension of driving authorisation. Repeated non-compliance could also result in cancellation of permits.
During an assessment conducted by the Transport Department on August 22, a total of 5,211 drivers were tested across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. Of these, 777 drivers received notices directing them to acquire practical Marathi knowledge within one month, including 722 drivers from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
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The government has said that during the one-year grace period, drivers will be provided with learning materials and classes to help them meet the language requirement.
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