Mahayuti Alliance Sees Differences Over Mandatory Marathi Language Requirement for Auto-Rickshaw and Taxi Drivers

MUMBAI: Differences within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance have surfaced over the Maharashtra government's decision to defer the mandatory Marathi language requirement for non-Marathi auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis overruled the move pursued by his cabinet colleague and Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik. Sarnaik, the state transport minister, had been pushing for strict implementation of his department's decision requiring non-Marathi auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to have a working knowledge of Marathi. Under the earlier arrangement, drivers who failed the Marathi test were to be given a month's time to acquire the required language skills, failing which their badges could be suspended for three months. However, Fadnavis on Thursday announced that migrant drivers would be given one year to learn functional Marathi and that no action would be taken against them during the extended period. The decision was welcomed by several auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, many of whom are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. However, it has also triggered discontent within Shiv Sena, raising questions over coordination between the two major Mahayuti partners. A Shiv Sena leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the transport department's decision had been discussed at the Cabinet level and that Sarnaik was implementing what had been agreed upon. “Whenever any decision is taken that is well discussed in the Cabinet, the chief minister, as head of the Cabinet, is fully aware of it. So, the transport minister went ahead with the Cabinet decision to implement it strictly. But Fadnavis overruling it and putting it on hold for one year is humiliating for Shiv Sena ministers and the party,” the leader said.