Mumbai, April 24 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Friday backed the Maharashtra government’s decision to make Marathi mandatory for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, but disapproved of its proposal to cancel the licence of those drivers who are unable to speak the language.

Earlier, Maharashtra’s Minister of Transport Pratap Sarnaik had announced that from May 1, Maharashtra Day, it will be mandatory for licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers to know Marathi, failing which their licences will be cancelled.

Speaking to IANS, Athawale mentioned that it is necessary for those drivers to know the language because many poor people do not know Hindi and come from far-off places.

“But for this, he (Sarnaik) has also said that Marathi classes will be arranged for the drivers. There are many non-Marathi drivers who know the language, but the Maharashtra government has decided to teach the language to those who don’t know it yet,” he said.

However, Athawale disapproved of the proposal to cancel the licence of those drivers who are not able to speak Marathi. “It would be an injustice to cancel the licences of those poor people. They can learn to speak Marathi, but their licence should not be cancelled,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister appreciated the high voter turnout in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election and the first phase of the polls in West Bengal.

He said, “This means that the democracy is becoming stronger. Over 90 per cent of the polling in West Bengal reflects that no one could indulge in hooliganism this time. (West Bengal Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee’s goons did not get the opportunity to come out.”

He commended the central forces for their work during the first phase of polling in West Bengal.

Moreover, Athawale urged for a law that makes voting compulsory.

Defending Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s threat to ‘goons’ in Bengal, he said, “What Amit Shah said is that hooliganism should be totally stopped. The BJP is going to form the government there, and it will teach a lesson to those goons.”

HM Shah, in a post on X, had said, “I tell the goons, don’t come out in the second phase either, or else I’ll hang you upside down and straighten you out.”

–IANS

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