By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai (Maharashtra): The politics over Marathi language in the state is at its climax and Raj Thackeray and his party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are riding this political wave.
Stepping into the footstep of his uncle Bal Thackeray, self-appointed protector of Marathi language and culture Raj Thackeray has given “ultimatum” to all the business centers in Maharashtra. He has warned them that if they don’t use the signboards in Marathi by 27th August 2008, they will have to face dire consequences by the activists of his party.
Around a month back he had instructed the shopkeepers and business centers in the state to use the signboards in Marathi instead of English. He repeated his warning recently in the meeting of the office bearers of his party.
The issue of Marathi signboards and call to intensify the hate campaign against the North Indians were two prominent matters of the meeting.
Being the official language of the state Marathi is already the working language of the state.
But what Raj Thackeray is doing is nothing but attempts to take political mileage out of a hate campaign against everything North Indian.
This is how the editor of a newspaper described the politics of Mr Thackeray. So one has to see these steps in this context as he is creating his political profile, the editor says.
This is not all. He points out that all the saffron groups in the state have planned to politically encash the anti-North Indian sentiments. He refers to the circular recently passed by the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC). The circular states that all the official work of the corporation will be done only in Marathi.
But intellectuals and the educated class is not convinced of this move, says a Mumbai-based social activist.
He says that Mumbai is a metropolitan city and imposition of Marathi is going to create lots of trouble for those people who are in majority. These are the people who don’t know and speak Marathi. The imposition of Marathi at the cost of other languages is completely ridiculous, he says.
On the political front there hasn’t been any challenge to this move except by the Qaumi Majlis-e-Shura (QMS) which has openly protested against the move.
QMS is affiliated to the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh. Abu Asim Azmi, Member of Parliament from the Samajwadi Party, is the chairperson of the Shura.
TwoCircles.net spoke to the general secretary of QMS Mr. Fareed Khan.
He pointed out that the circular passed by the BMC is completely “anti-Constitutional” as the Indian Constitution provides for the protection of the rights of the linguistic minorities.
He says that according to the Census 2001, Muslims constitute around 10.6% of the total population of the state and, 25% of the total population of Mumbai.
He says that the QMS will soon file a petition in the Bombay High court challenging the circular passed by the BMC.
Mr. Fareed further pointed out that the circular is completely impractical as Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city which has people speaking various other languages also like English, Hindi and Urdu.
His point is that there are many people who speak only Urdu. If the BMC will work only in Marathi how these people are going to deal with BMC. Being a part of the linguistic minorities they have the right to be informed in their own language.
The QMS is soon going to launch a movement demanding better share of state funds for the welfare of Urdu, informs Fareed.