Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi on Thursday spoke on the political row over his statement and said that due to one of his statements, a misunderstanding has occurred. Joshi, in a remark earlier, had said that not everyone coming to Mumbai should learn Marathi, sparking a political slugfest amid the ongoing language row.
Clarifying his statement, he said, “There is no question that the language of Mumbai is not Marathi. The language of Maharashtra is Marathi. Mumbai is in Maharashtra and naturally, the language of Mumbai is Marathi. Different languages are spoken in India. People speaking different languages live in Mumbai as well. So, it is a natural expectation that they should also come here and learn Marathi, understand Marathi and read Marathi.”
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He said that so many people speaking so many different languages in India and living together is a great example of co-existence and said that Mumbai is an “ideal example” of this.
However, he added that it is a natural expectation that a person coming to Mumbai should understand Marathi, speak Marathi, learn Marathi, and read Marathi. “This is the only expectation. I have nothing more to say than this… My mother tongue is Marathi. But I also respect the existence of all languages… I request everyone to see it from the same perspective,” Joshi added.
In his earlier statement, the senior RSS leader had said that Mumbai does not have a single language and each part of Mumbai has a different language.
Giving an example of this, he had said that the language of the Ghatkopar area is Gujarati and concluded his statement with the remark that it is not necessary that you have to learn Marathi if you are residing in Mumbai.
Joshi’s remarks came at a period when the BJP-led Maharashtra Government has made Marathi compulsory in primary and secondary schools affiliated with ICSE and CBSE boards to promote the local language.
