Corporators say people must learn State language

Mumbai: Shiv Sena members came out in big support for Marathi as the administrative language in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday.

The issue came to the fore when Congress corporator Sufiyan Niyazahmed Vanu raised a point of order about officials from Urdu medium schools having to appear for promotion exams in Marathi. “Being made to appear for tests in Marathi is unfair to teachers from language schools like Urdu schools. They should be allowed to take such tests in their particular regional language so that they are not unfairly discriminated against in receiving promotions,” he said.

He said it was unfair to teachers from 231 Hindi medium schools, 204 Urdu medium schools and other regional language medium schools, who would be at a loss against teachers from 351 Marathi medium schools. The BMC runs schools in eight regional languages, including Gujarati (68), Tamil (35) and Telugu (28), apart from English medium schools (55) in the city.

The issue touched a raw nerve with corporators from the Shiv Sena, who insisted on the use of Marathi for administrative purposes. Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar said Marathi being the State language must be learnt and used in the municipal corporation.

Sena’s Kishori Pednekar said that “people who do not know the State language have no business being employed with the municipal corporation”. “People must learn the language if they want to work here. Even in the corporation, they must be made to speak in Marathi and not in other languages,” she said.

Shubada Gudekar, chairperson of the education committee, said, “Firstly, we are doing a favour for them by running schools in so many languages, and now they want even promotion tests to be conducted in their language. Does any other State run schools in so many languages? You should be thankful that we are running these language schools and not closing them down. There are more Urdu schools than Marathi schools.”

Opposition members like Samajwadi Party leader Raees Sheikh sprang up to shout, “It’s our right to be educated in our languages. How can they stop us?”

After a ruckus, which saw Gudekar demanding “protection to make her point” from the Mayor, the point of order was rejected.