Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has rejected the argument that Mumbai’s cosmopolitan character should allow people to communicate in whichever language they choose without knowing Marathi, as the state pushes for auto and taxi drivers to learn the state’s language. Asked whether people in Mumbai, where multiple languages are spoken, should be free to communicate without the compulsion to learn Marathi, Sarnaik was unequivocal: “Bilkul nahi chalega.” “This is Maharashtra. Mumbai is not outside Maharashtra,” Sarnaik said, arguing that the state’s linguistic identity cannot be separated from the city.
