Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has strongly opposed the state government’s decision to require taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers from outside Maharashtra to learn Marathi, escalating his rhetoric against migrant workers.

Speaking at a lecture series in Pune on Thursday, 30 April, Thackeray questioned how such drivers could “dare” not to speak Marathi, and suggested that only the MNS’s trademark “bamboo-style” tactics keep them in check. He also called on Marathi-speaking people to unite against “outsiders”.

Thackeray’s remarks have intensified political tensions, with concerns that the situation could deteriorate across the state, including Mumbai. His statements are being seen as a direct challenge to the government.

Responding sharply, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said violence in the name of language would not be tolerated. “Raising the issue of language through violence is not Maharashtra’s culture,” he said, invoking the inclusive ethos associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He added that harbouring hostility towards outsiders was wrong, even as there was broad agreement that people in the state should learn Marathi.

Fadnavis also questioned Thackeray’s own contribution to promoting the language and cautioned against politicising the issue.

The row has been fuelled by the government’s move to make Marathi mandatory for taxi and auto drivers. Thackeray has adopted an aggressive stance around the issue, positioning it at the centre of his politics. However, the government has set a deadline of 15 August for drivers to learn the language, a move seen as a setback for the MNS’s campaign.

Thackeray has continued to mobilise support on linguistic lines, alleging that migrants are being encouraged at the expense of locals. He criticised the policy of teaching Marathi to outsiders, remarking that “today they are being taught Marathi, tomorrow they will be seen receiving Marathi awards”.

Using a metaphor, he said, “Where the soil is soft, rats burrow easily; that cannot happen with a rock,” adding that Marathi people must become “as strong as a rock”.

Fadnavis, however, reiterated that Maharashtra belongs to everyone and described the effort to encourage learning Marathi as a positive and inclusive step.

NCP (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule has said she will not allow 'Pawar vs Pawar' electoral contests in the future, asserting that members of the Pawar family will not be pitted against one another in elections.

In an interview with a Marathi news channel, Sule made it clear that she herself would not contest against any member of the Pawar family and would also discourage others from doing so. She said while family members may be engaged in different political roles, unity within the family would be maintained when it comes to elections.

The question of a Pawar-versus-Pawar contest arose after recent remarks by Jay Pawar, son of late Ajit Pawar, who said people in his father's constituency Baramati want him to contest elections. However, Jay added that he is currently working as a party worker.

Following his statement, speculation grew that Baramati could witness a Pawar vs Pawar contest in 2029. Responding to this, MLA Rohit Pawar indirectly accused the BJP of attempting to erase the Pawar legacy in Baramati. He also said that the people of Baramati do not want such a contest. Yugendra Pawar, too, has stated that he will not contest against Jay in Baramati.

The constituency has already seen intra-family contests. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Baramati witnessed a contest between Sule and Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar, in what was widely described as a 'nanad-bhabhi' (sisters-in-law) contest. Sule emerged victorious.

This was followed by another family contest in the Assembly elections, where Ajit Pawar faced his nephew Yugendra Pawar. Ajit Pawar won that election by a margin of over one lakh votes.

After these contests, Sule did not field a candidate from the Sharad Pawar faction against Sunetra Pawar in the bypoll held after Ajit Pawar’s death, and the family campaigned together. The result of this by-election is expected on 4 May.

The Pawar family has traditionally maintained a separation between family and politics. Even after the split in the NCP, Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar remained connected at a family level. Following Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash in January, the sense of unity within the family has reportedly strengthened further and is now being reflected politically, beginning with the Baramati bypoll.

After voting for the by-election concluded, Sharad Pawar hosted a family gathering at Modi Bagh, ostensibly to mark the engagement of Sule’s daughter Revati. It remains unclear whether any political discussions took place during the meeting.

However, Sule’s firm statement against any future Pawar vs Pawar contest has fuelled speculation that the family is keen to preserve its political legacy through unity. She said emphatically that she would never allow such a situation to arise. Becoming emotional, she added that if such circumstances were to emerge, she would take a “major decision” rather than allow members of the family’s younger generation to contest against one another.

Referring to the family’s roots, Sule said she does not support the idea of contesting elections against one’s own relatives. At the same time, she clarified that in her role as working president of NCP (Sharad Pawar), her ideological battle against the BJP’s style of functioning would continue.

The Maharashtra government’s decision to temporarily defer strict enforcement of mandatory Marathi proficiency for taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers has exposed the political balancing act behind the language debate in the state.

The Devendra Fadnavis-led government had initially insisted that from 1 May, drivers who could not speak Marathi could face cancellation of licences. However, after days of confrontation with taxi and auto unions — and threats of a statewide strike from 4 May — the government stepped back and postponed strict enforcement until 15 August 2026.

What the government announced

After meeting union representatives and Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced that drivers would be given time to learn Marathi before punitive action begins.

The government said Marathi training would continue until 15 August, after which the language requirement would be implemented.

Officials insisted the government had not withdrawn the policy, but merely delayed enforcement.

Strike threat forced rethink

Taxi and auto unions had warned of a statewide strike beginning 4 May, raising fears of major disruption to public transport in Mumbai, Thane and other urban centres.

A large number of taxi and auto drivers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are migrants from North India, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Industry representatives argued that lakhs of drivers could not suddenly comply with language rules and said strict enforcement would threaten livelihoods.

The possibility of transport paralysis in Mumbai placed the government under significant pressure.

Political calculations behind Marathi push

Political observers say the Marathi language issue is deeply tied to electoral calculations.

On one hand, parties seek to consolidate Marathi identity politics and appeal to regional sentiment. On the other, they cannot afford to alienate the sizeable North Indian voter base linked to the transport sector.

Analysts estimate that more than 10 lakh drivers across Maharashtra could be directly affected by strict Marathi enforcement.

The government’s softer stand is being viewed as an attempt to balance both constituencies.

Shiv Sena faction battle

The controversy has also intensified the rivalry between the two Shiv Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde.

The transport unions have traditionally been seen as a stronghold of the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction. However, the Shinde faction is now trying to build influence within the sector.

Shinde Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam had openly taken a softer line in support of North Indian drivers during the controversy.

Political experts believe the Marathi enforcement debate is also linked to attempts to weaken the influence of unions aligned with the ठाकरे faction.

Sanjay Raut attacks government

Following the rollback, Sanjay Raut criticised Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and demanded his resignation.

Raut said that if the minister truly believed in Marathi pride, he should quit rather than allow the government to retreat on the issue.

His remarks are being interpreted not only as a defence of Marathi identity politics but also as a direct attack on the Shinde faction.

MNS and Congress reactions

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by Raj Thackeray, had adopted an aggressive Marathi-first position during the debate.

However, the government’s softer stance appears to have diluted the political momentum the party hoped to gain from the issue.

Meanwhile, Indian National Congress criticised the entire episode as socially divisive.

Earlier language controversies

This is not the first time Maharashtra’s language politics has triggered controversy.

In 2020, the government had prepared Marathi learning booklets for non-Marathi drivers but enforcement remained weak.

More recently, the state also faced protests over the three-language formula and the proposed introduction of Hindi in schools, forcing the government to retreat.

Political analysts say the latest controversy shows how language politics in Maharashtra is increasingly shaped by competing electoral compulsions.

While invoking Marathi identity remains politically important, parties in power are equally conscious of the economic and electoral influence of migrant communities, especially in Mumbai and surrounding regions.

For now, the government has avoided a direct confrontation with transport unions, but the issue is likely to resurface once the new deadline approaches in August.

A day after a BJP march in Mumbai’s Worli area triggered a traffic jam and a sharp public confrontation with a woman, state minister Girish Mahajan and Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde on Wednesday apologised for the disruption caused to commuters.

The controversy stems from Tuesday’s rally organised by the BJP in support of women’s reservation, which led to severe traffic congestion in south Mumbai. Amid the disruption, a local woman confronted Mahajan on the road, angrily objecting to the blockade and questioning why the march was not held in an open ground instead.

Videos of the incident, now widely circulated on social media, show the woman telling the minister to “get out” and refusing to engage with police personnel. She is seen challenging him as he spoke to the media, accusing the organisers of ignoring the inconvenience caused to the public.

Eyewitness accounts suggest the woman briefly left after being pacified, only to return moments later, still visibly upset. “Don’t you understand? What has happened to you? Hundreds of people are waiting,” she is heard screaming in the footage.

The episode has drawn political reactions, with senior Congress leader Nana Patole praising the woman for speaking up against public inconvenience. He said ordinary citizens are being made to suffer due to such political mobilisations.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also criticised the BJP, alleging that the party was using the issue of women’s reservation for political messaging while inconveniencing the public. He said the incident exposed what he described as a gap between the party’s claims and its actions.

Responding to the backlash on Wednesday, Mahajan acknowledged that the rally had caused traffic congestion but criticised the woman for using inappropriate language and allegedly throwing a bottle. At the same time, he struck a conciliatory note, saying her anger was understandable.

“We understood her grievance and I apologised to her multiple times,” he said, adding that steps were taken to clear the road within minutes.

Mayor Tawde also issued an apology, expressing regret over the inconvenience caused to Mumbai residents.

The incident has added to the political sparring around the women’s reservation issue, with the viral confrontation amplifying questions about how such public demonstrations are conducted in densely populated urban areas.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on 21 April alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was using the issue of women’s reservation as a cover to push a delimitation agenda aimed at altering electoral constituencies.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Thackeray questioned the Centre over its handling of the women’s reservation debate and raised concerns over representation.

He also asked why President Droupadi Murmu was not invited to key events such as Parliament proceedings and the Ram temple inauguration, questioning whether her tribal identity was a factor.

Allegations of political targeting and misuse of agencies

Thackeray accused the BJP of speaking about women’s dignity while allegedly targeting political opponents.

“You speak about dignity of women in Parliament, but on the other hand cases are filed using agencies to defeat a woman,” he said.

He also referred to ongoing political campaigns, stating that leaders from multiple parties were campaigning in West Bengal, while a “single leader” was contesting against them.

Criticism of Maharashtra government

Drawing a comparison with the IPL (Indian Premier League), Thackeray alleged that politics in Maharashtra had turned into a marketplace where leaders were being “bought and sold”.

“Just like players are auctioned in the IPL, there is a dirty game of bidding for leaders in Maharashtra,” he said, describing the ruling Mahayuti alliance as an “auction government”.

He directly criticised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, alleging that democratic traditions in the state were being undermined.

“People are watching how loyalty is being sold for money,” he said, adding that voters would respond to such practices.

Workers’ issues and economic concerns

Reiterating his party’s commitment to workers, Thackeray said the organisation would be strengthened and highlighted the legacy of labour leaders associated with the party.

He expressed concern over the condition of workers and labour unions, particularly those working abroad, alleging lack of adequate attention from policymakers.

Referring to economic distress, he claimed that workers were reluctant to return to India due to unemployment concerns.

The remarks come amid heightened political contestation over the proposed implementation of women’s reservation and delimitation, as well as ongoing tensions between the BJP and Opposition parties in Maharashtra.

The Mahayuti alliance, led by the BJP, has faced criticism from Opposition leaders over governance and political realignments in the state, while the ruling coalition has defended its policies and actions.