Archive · 24 Aug 2026
Maharashtra Defends Mandatory Marathi Rule Amid Yadav Criticism
Maharashtra wants taxi and autorickshaw drivers to know basic Marathi.
Drivers who do not know enough Marathi will get one month to learn it.
Their badges could be suspended if they do not follow the rule.
Their permits could eventually be cancelled for continued refusal.
Minister Pratap Baburao Sarnaik said officials must not punish drivers before the month ends.
Akhilesh Yadav said local languages should be respected.
He also said language rules should not stop people from finding work.
Sarnaik defended the policy and said Yadav should focus on Uttar Pradesh’s elections.
Maharashtra has directed RTOs to enforce working Marathi knowledge for taxi and autorickshaw drivers.
Drivers lacking sufficient Marathi knowledge will receive one month to learn the language.
Noncompliance may lead to three-month badge suspensions and eventual cancellation of badges and permits.
Akhilesh Yadav said regional languages should be promoted but not used as political or employment barriers.
Transport Minister Pratap Baburao Sarnaik defended the rule and criticized Yadav’s employment record in Uttar Pradesh.
- Who
- Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Baburao Sarnaik, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, taxi and autorickshaw drivers, and Regional Transport Office officials.
- What
- Maharashtra is enforcing a working-knowledge requirement for Marathi among taxi and autorickshaw drivers, prompting a political dispute.
- When
- The requirement is covered by an August 12 government resolution; drivers are given one month before punitive action.
- Where
- Maharashtra, particularly in the context of its taxi and autorickshaw system; Yadav’s response concerned Maharashtra’s policy and Uttar Pradesh elections.
- Why
- The Maharashtra government says drivers must learn Marathi, while Yadav argues that language should not become a political or employment-related barrier.
Language as Inclusion and Regulation
Language as an Employment Barrier
Mandatory Marathi requirement
Language as Inclusion and Regulation
Pratap Baburao Sarnaik defended requiring taxi and autorickshaw drivers to learn Marathi and said deliberate refusal after the one-month period would warrant action.
Language as an Employment Barrier
Akhilesh Yadav said regional languages should be respected and promoted, but governments should not turn language into a political or employment-related barrier.
Effect on linguistic unity
Language as Inclusion and Regulation
Sarnaik’s position emphasizes Maharashtra’s authority to require Marathi knowledge from drivers serving the state’s transport system.
Language as an Employment Barrier
Yadav warned that compulsory local-language requirements for people seeking work could deepen linguistic divisions and create distance and discord in India’s linguistic and emotional unity.
Responsibility for migrant employment
Language as Inclusion and Regulation
Sarnaik accused Yadav of failing to create enough jobs in Uttar Pradesh, saying this contributed to people from Uttar Pradesh and North India seeking livelihoods in Maharashtra, where he said they were accepted and supported.
Language as an Employment Barrier
Yadav’s response focused on keeping language from becoming an employment barrier rather than accepting Sarnaik’s criticism of his record as Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
- Requirement
- Taxi and autorickshaw drivers must demonstrate a working knowledge of Marathi.
- Initial compliance period
- Drivers without sufficient Marathi knowledge receive one month to learn the language.
- Possible first penalty
- A driver’s badge may be suspended for three months.
- Possible final penalties
- Continued refusal may result in cancellation of both the badge and permit.
- Enforcement bodies
- Regional Transport Offices have been directed to enforce the requirement.
- Government resolution
- The rule is linked to an August 12 government resolution.
- Minister’s instruction
- Officials who penalize drivers before the one-month period ends could face action.