MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s decision to give auto and taxi drivers a one-year grace period to acquire working knowledge of Marathi has eased immediate tensions over the state’s language compliance drive, but may also expose differences within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.The reprieve came days after the transport department, headed by Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik, launched statewide inspections and issued notices to more than 4,000 drivers who failed Marathi proficiency tests.Fadnavis said no punitive action would be taken against drivers during the one-year period and announced that the government would organise Marathi classes and provide study material to help them learn commonly used phrases needed for daily interactions with passengers.The chief minister announced the decision after meeting representatives of auto and taxi associations led by BJP transport union leader Haji Arfat Shaikh. Fadnavis said drivers supported the government’s objective of ensuring that commercial passenger vehicle operators could communicate with commuters in basic Marathi, but needed more time because many belonged to different age groups and had left formal education years ago.The move is significant politically as the Marathi language issue has emerged as a fresh point of contention between the two Shiv Sena factions, with their respective alliance partners taking a more cautious position.Political observers said the Shinde-led Sena’s push for Marathi proficiency among auto and taxi drivers appears aimed at reclaiming the Marathi manoos space from Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The issue assumes significance after Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray set aside their long-standing differences during the BMC polls and sought to consolidate the Marathi vote.“The Shinde Sena seems to have introduced the Marathi diktat to take on the Sena (UBT) and MNS on their Marathi manoos plank. Their coming together helped dent the Shinde Sena in the BMC polls. So there is competition between the two Senas to woo Marathi voters, and this is being done through auto and taxi drivers,” a political observer said.However, the move has reportedly not gone down well with sections of the BJP, which has traditionally enjoyed support among migrant auto and taxi drivers. Observers said the compulsory Marathi requirement, coupled with the introduction of bike taxis, has affected the conventional auto and taxi trade and created unease within the BJP.“The BJP is particularly not happy with the Shinde Sena since most drivers are North Indian and are BJP supporters,” the observer said.The latest intervention by Fadnavis could therefore be seen as an attempt to strike a balance between the Sena’s push to project itself as a party championing Marathi interests and the BJP’s concerns over the impact of the policy on a significant migrant workforce.The government had initially announced the Marathi language requirement in April, with non-Marathi-speaking drivers expected to acquire basic language skills by August 15. RTOs, literary organisations and transport authorities subsequently conducted training programmes across the state.The enforcement drive intensified on August 20, when 1,268 commercial passenger vehicle drivers, mainly autorickshaw and taxi operators, were served notices on the first day of inspections. Across the state, 58 RTOs have since issued notices to more than 4,000 drivers who failed the Marathi test.Under the earlier process, drivers were given a month to learn the language and appear for the test again, failing which their badges could be suspended for three months. It remains unclear whether the notices already issued will be withdrawn or whether the affected drivers will now be given a fresh opportunity under the one-year grace period.
