Sarnaik Faces Flak Over Sanjay Dutt’s Marathi Remark At Dahi Handi Event
Maharashtra minister Pratap Sarnaik faces criticism after Sanjay Dutt’s Marathi remark at a Dahi Handi event sparked questions over language rules for drivers.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has come under criticism after actor Sanjay Dutt, who attended a Dahi Handi event organised by the minister, joked that he had failed to learn Marathi despite spending six years in Yerawada jail. BJP legislator Narendra Mehta on Monday questioned the State Transport Department’s rule making knowledge of Marathi mandatory for taxi and autorickshaw drivers, asking why different standards were being applied to drivers and actors. The Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) also criticised Mr Sarnaik over the incident.
Mr Sarnaik organised a mega Dahi Handi event in Thane on Saturday, which was attended by several celebrities. The minister, who has been at the forefront of implementing the mandatory Marathi knowledge requirement for taxi and autorickshaw drivers, urged the celebrities to address the gathering in Marathi. When Mr Sarnaik made the same request to Mr Dutt, however, the actor said he was unable to speak Marathi.
Mr Mehta, who represents the Mira Road constituency in Thane, subsequently targeted Mr Sarnaik over the incident. “A film artist states on the platform of your own event that he does not know Marathi, and you laugh at it. But when ordinary auto-rickshaw or taxi drivers say they don’t know Marathi, you intimidate them. What kind of justice is this? When an actor says he doesn’t know Marathi on your stage, you don’t even reprimand him. There is a difference between Pratap Sarnaik’s words and actions,” the BJP leader said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut also alleged that the government’s Marathi-language drive for drivers was merely a stunt. Referring to the one-year extension granted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to the deadline for learning Marathi, Mr Raut said, “Union Home Minister Amit Shah has punctured Mr Sarnaik’s stunt.”
Congress spokesperson Mahesh Londhe accused the ruling alliance of using the language issue for political purposes. “When has the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena ever done anything for the development of the Marathi language? If Marathi has received Classical Language status today, the groundwork for it was laid by Prithviraj Chavan. People come to Maharashtra for work. But the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Shinde only engage in politics over language,” he said.
