Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Athawale opposes Maharashtra's Marathi mandate for auto, taxi drivers
The state of Maharashtra in India made a new rule about languages.
People who drive auto-rickshaws and taxis must be able to speak Marathi, the main language of the state.
If drivers cannot speak Marathi, their license could be taken away.
The government first gives drivers one month to learn the language.
If they still cannot speak it, their driving permission can be stopped for up to three months.
If they still do not learn, they can lose their license forever.
A big minister named Ramdas Athawale says this is too strict.
He said Mumbai is a city where people from all over India come to work.
He thinks the rule could start a fight between Hindi speakers and Marathi speakers.
He said drivers are simple workers who earn only about 20,000 rupees a month.
He believes drivers should get more time to learn Marathi instead of losing their licenses.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers across the state must have functional knowledge of Marathi or face license cancellation.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale opposed the mandate on Friday, saying creating a Hindi-Marathi dispute is 'absolutely not right', though he added everyone living in Maharashtra should learn Marathi.
Under the amended rules, drivers without Marathi skills first get a one-month notice, then face license suspension for up to three months, followed by permanent cancellation for continued non-compliance.
The Maharashtra government issued an official Government Resolution enforcing the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026 under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Athawale said auto-rickshaw drivers are ordinary workers earning around Rs 20,000 a month and should be given more time, claiming 80 per cent of non-Marathi people in Maharashtra can already speak the language.
- Who
- Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik
- What
- Maharashtra mandated functional knowledge of Marathi for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, with penalties up to permanent license cancellation; Athawale opposed the move
- When
- Sarnaik announced the mandate on Wednesday; Athawale reacted on Friday
- Where
- Maharashtra, with a focus on Mumbai as India's economic capital
- Why
- To enforce the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026, rooted in an existing 1989 rule that had not been strictly enforced; Athawale warned it could create language disputes
Athawale's Opposition
Maharashtra Government's Position
Immediate enforcement of the Marathi mandate
Athawale's Opposition
Cancelling permits of drivers who do not know Marathi is not right; drivers are ordinary workers earning around Rs 20,000 a month and should be given more time to learn the language.
Maharashtra Government's Position
The mandate implements the existing 1989 rule that was not strictly enforced; drivers without Marathi skills get a one-month notice before any action, so enforcement is gradual.
Language policy and national harmony
Athawale's Opposition
Mumbai is India's economic capital attracting people from across the country, so mandating Marathi could create a Hindi-Marathi dispute; immediate action against non-speakers is wrong.
Maharashtra Government's Position
Everyone living in Maharashtra should learn Marathi and have knowledge of the language, and Marathi classes are being made available to help drivers comply.
- State
- Maharashtra
- Regulation
- Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026 under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
- Announced by
- Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik
- First violation
- One-month notice to learn Marathi
- Second violation
- License authorization suspended for up to three months
- Continued non-compliance
- Permanent cancellation of driving license
- Support measure
- Marathi classes announced for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers
- Athawale's claim
- 80 per cent of non-Marathi people in Maharashtra can speak Marathi