Thackeray slams Centre for delay in elite status to Marathi

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday slammed the Centre for delays in according the status of elite language to Marathi. In his address at the conference on the occasion of Marathi Language Day (Marathi Bhasha Diwas), Thackeray expressed his resolve to make all efforts to get the elite language status to Marathi before the next year. Marathi Language Day (Marathi Bhasha Diwas) is celebrated annually on February 27 to mark the birth anniversar y of famous Marathi poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, who was popularly known as 'Kusumagraj'.

“We are trying to get the status of elite language to Marathi. The matter is pending with the highest authority or a committee. Why do we have to make so many requests?’’ he asked. Thackeray took an aggressive posture and said, “Those who are sitting in Delhi should be reminded of one thing that Marathi is our mother tongue and we are proud of it.’’ “But this is the language of Maharashtra, the language of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. If it weren't for Marathi, would you even be there today? Think about it. In my view, this one piece of evidence is enough to make Marathi an elite language,’’ he noted.

The CM also remembered Lokmanya Tilak on the occasion. "He had written an editorial – Sarkarche doke thikanavar ahe ka? (Is the government sane?) – in Marathi which shocked the British," he said. Thackeray said English is an important language but we should also pay attention to Marathi. "We don't have any problem with any other language but because of it my language should not become weak, and we must pay attention to this," he added.