'Fear of Being Beaten Up Is Real': Pune Vendors Speak Amid Marathi Row

The conflict over speaking regional language reignited in Maharashtra once again and Pune is not exception to it. Amidst the ongoing debate o0n Marathi vs Hindi in the state, tensions ecalated with MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders getting voilent in Pune also for not speaking Marathi.

While Pune did not see as many confrontations as Mumbai and Thane, it too experienced rising tensions. Speaking with The Free Press Journal, shopkeepers and vendors in Pune expressed unease over recent language-related incidents. They stressed their respect for Marathi culture but admitted fear of backlash amid viral videos and pressure to communicate only in Marathi.

Mohanlal Agrawal (name changed), a mini-mart owner at Gokhale square, told FPJ, "I have been residing in Pune for 25 years and have made my fortune here. I respect Marathi and Maharashtrian people. I usually communicate in Marathi and have asked my staff to speak Marathi."

'Fear of Being Beaten Up Is Real'

Pankaj Nishad, a fruit and snack stall owner at Shivaji Square, told FPJ, "The fear of being beaten up is real; when social media feed is filled with such violent videos, it definitely scares us."

"I came from Kanpur 15 years ago; within a year, I was able to speak Marathi, but since I have replenished my staff recently, and a couple of them are from Rajasthan and Gujarat, they can’t speak Marathi, and ensuring their security rests on me," he added.

"There are cases when customers argue for speaking Marathi; in that case, I myself and other members humbly oblige to their request preventing further escalation," Nishad replied, when asked about any incidents of forcing them to speak Marathi. 

'Dialogue or insistence should suffice rather than force'

A Marathi tea stall owner at Dnyaneshwar Paduka Square told FPJ, "That people doing business in Maharashtra should learn Marathi, but it should not happen by coercing them; a dialogue or insistence should suffice rather than force."

However, he remarked about the canny attitude of a few non-Marathi speakers who claim that they will not speak Marathi at any cost; this creates language resentment between locals and outsiders.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) General Secretary and Spokesperson Hemant Sambhus told FPJ, "MNS does not resort to violence; first we request them by folding hands to speak Marathi, and when they argue by saying, we will not speak or speak in Hindi, then we resort to violence."

"MNS was created to restore the Marathi cultural pride and it still remains our fundamental identity. Marathi Manus is awake now, and will not tolerate any disrespect to Marathi or Marathi-speaking people," he added.

Pratik Date, a student from SP college, told FPJ, "If you are resident of Maharashtra from long time, then there should be no issues to communicate in Marathi."

Another student, Aditya Jagtap, argued against adopting violent means to enforce Marathi on non-Marathi speakers.

"The adoption of violence works in a negative way, it creates resentment against language and further delineates issue from the cause, " Both Date Jagtap exclaimed.

Prashant Khandare, a student of Pune University, said, "Definitely Marathi language should be prioritised, but what if other person does not know Marathi, how shall we communicate? There is need for toleration and accepting diversity."

Political compulsion?

Mohan Joshi, vice president of Maharashtra Congress and former MLC, told FPJ, "This issue has been brought at the forefront by BJP, eyeing elections to Brihan Mumbai Corporation (BMC), Asia’s richest sub-regional government."

"The three-language policy, which serves as a backdoor for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) imposition of Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan, has been rejected by the Maharashtra people. It was Indian National Congress (INC) who had rejected the imposition of Hindi introduced through three-language policy. The Maharashtrian will not tolerate imposition of Hindi at the sake of their mother tongue" he added.

Gauri Kopardekar, an Associate Professor of political science, told FPJ, "considering the nature of Indian State, it is a plural, a multilingual diverse democracy having a foundation of cultural aspirations of people. The agitation for Samyukta Maharashtra was seeking justice when it came to federal spirit of forming a state on linguistic basis. This effort was beyond any political party affiliations. I feel all the agitations happening now for the cause of Marathi or towards a protest against Hindi as the third language cannot be equated with the Samyukta Maharashtra agitation, as the expanse, intensity, and objectives are different, though both protests are marked by non-partisan interests rooted in cultural identity."

Kopardekar says, "I feel the struggle for Marathi and Marathi Manus is again an existential matter for MNS. MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) could pose their stance strongly as both need to impress upon the masses that they hold some water. We can see their political compulsion as BMC elections are approaching."

news