Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Pawar Criticizes Dutt’s Marathi Remark at Sarnaik Event
Sanjay Dutt spoke at a Dahi Handi event in Maharashtra.
He said he spent six years in Yerwada jail but still could not properly learn Marathi.
Pratap Sarnaik, a state minister, was standing beside him and laughed at the comment.
Rohit Pawar criticized Dutt’s words.
Pawar said the comment embarrassed Sarnaik at his own event.
Pawar also said people in Maharashtra should respect Marathi.
However, he said people should not be forced to speak the language.
The disagreement is part of a larger political argument about Marathi in Maharashtra.
Rohit Pawar criticized Sanjay Dutt’s comment that he could not properly learn Marathi during six years at Yerwada jail.
Pawar said Dutt’s remark amounted to a slap to Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik at Sarnaik’s own event.
Dutt made the comment during a recent Dahi Handi celebration and said he had learned only some Marathi.
Pawar said people living in Maharashtra should respect Marathi, but should not be forced to speak it.
The exchange has intensified the wider political debate over Marathi-language expectations in Maharashtra.
- Who
- Actor Sanjay Dutt, NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar, and Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
- What
- Pawar criticized Dutt’s remark that he could not properly learn Marathi despite spending six years in Yerwada jail.
- When
- Dutt made the remark at a recent Dahi Handi celebration; Pawar’s reaction was reported on September 8, 2026.
- Where
- At an event in Maharashtra; Dutt referred to his time in Pune’s Yerwada Central Jail.
- Why
- The comments drew attention amid a wider debate over respect for and expectations surrounding the Marathi language in Maharashtra.
Language Respect and Political Criticism
Personal Comment and Event Context
Expectations around Marathi
Language Respect and Political Criticism
Rohit Pawar said people who live in Maharashtra should respect Marathi, regardless of their caste, religion, or state of origin, while arguing that no one should be forced to speak it.
Personal Comment and Event Context
Sanjay Dutt said he had picked up some Marathi but had not been able to learn it properly, without saying that Marathi should not be respected.
Impact on Pratap Sarnaik
Language Respect and Political Criticism
Pawar said Dutt’s remark was effectively a slap to Sarnaik because Sarnaik had invited Dutt and was advocating Marathi-language use at the event.
Personal Comment and Event Context
Dutt thanked Sarnaik for the invitation and referred to their longstanding association; Sarnaik reportedly laughed at Dutt’s remark.
- Speaker criticized
- Rohit Pawar, an MLA from the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar faction
- Actor involved
- Sanjay Dutt
- Minister present
- Pratap Sarnaik, Maharashtra’s Transport Minister
- Event
- A Dahi Handi celebration
- Dutt’s remark
- He said he spent six years in Yerwada jail but still could not properly learn Marathi
- Pawar’s position
- Marathi should be respected in Maharashtra, but people should not be forced to speak it
- Broader context
- The exchange is part of an ongoing political debate over the Marathi language in Maharashtra