Congress blasts Modi for ignoring demand for classical language status to Marathi

The Congress on Thursday (September 26) accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the demand to grant classical language status to Marathi, and compared it to the way his predecessor Manmohan Singh recognised Indian languages.

“Why is the non-biological PM ignoring the demand for granting Marathi classical language status,” Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asked in a social media post ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Pune that was, however, cancelled due to heavy rains.

Marathi language status

The Congress leader said that when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia were declared classical Indian languages.

“In the non-biological PM's tenure, zero languages have been accorded classical language status. For 10 years, he has done nothing on the well-argued case submitted by then Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (in) July 2014 to declare Marathi a classical Indian language,” Ramesh said.

“What explains the non-biological PM's special apathy to Marathi culture,” he asked.

Pune’s industrial climate

Ramesh also accused the Maharashtra government of ignoring the Chakan industrial area in Pune, leading to a mass exodus of frustrated manufacturing units to other states like Gujarat and Karnataka.

“Chakan is witnessing a mass exodus of manufacturing units due to problems caused by poor road infrastructure. Despite ongoing roadwork, basic issues of traffic congestion and potholes continue to plague the area,” Ramesh said in his post on X.

This has led to disruptions in production schedule as the movement of raw materials to factories and the transportation of finished goods have been severely hampered, the Congress leader said.

Dhangar community

“What does the non-biological PM have to say about all the jobs that have been lost due to his government's negligence,” Ramesh then asked.

He also wanted to know why the BJP had ignored the demand of the Dhangar community for ST status. He said the Dhangar community, which constitutes almost 9% of Maharashtra’s population, had been seeking ST status for years.

“Effects of caste-based marginalisation are evident from the Dhangars’ poor performance on Human Development Index indicators, but they have received no support from the Mahayuti government,” he said.

“What is the non-biological PM doing to ensure the well-being of the Dhangar community? Why have the BJP and their allies ignored the plight of the Dhangars?" Ramesh said.

Sugar industry’s woes

The Congress leader also accused the Modi government of neglecting Maharashtra's sugar industry.

Expecting a shortage in sugar production this year, the Centre banned the production of ethanol due to which millers in Maharashtra were sitting on stocks worth Rs 925 crore, he said.

The Centre’s predictions, however, were flawed as per acre yield of sugarcane had actually increased by over 15%, he said.

“Now, sugar mills find themselves in a fix. In addition to the financial burden imposed by this ban, they are also worried about the fire hazard posed by their existing stocks of ethanol and spirits, which are incredibly combustible materials,” he said.