MUMBAI: Differences within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance have surfaced over the Maharashtra government's decision to defer the mandatory Marathi language requirement for non-Marathi auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis overruled the move pursued by his cabinet colleague and Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik.
Sarnaik, the state transport minister, had been pushing for strict implementation of his department's decision requiring non-Marathi auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to have a working knowledge of Marathi. Under the earlier arrangement, drivers who failed the Marathi test were to be given a month's time to acquire the required language skills, failing which their badges could be suspended for three months.
However, Fadnavis on Thursday announced that migrant drivers would be given one year to learn functional Marathi and that no action would be taken against them during the extended period.
The decision was welcomed by several auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, many of whom are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. However, it has also triggered discontent within Shiv Sena, raising questions over coordination between the two major Mahayuti partners.
A Shiv Sena leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the transport department's decision had been discussed at the Cabinet level and that Sarnaik was implementing what had been agreed upon.
“Whenever any decision is taken that is well discussed in the Cabinet, the chief minister, as head of the Cabinet, is fully aware of it. So, the transport minister went ahead with the Cabinet decision to implement it strictly. But Fadnavis overruling it and putting it on hold for one year is humiliating for Shiv Sena ministers and the party,” the leader said.
The leader also alleged that the episode had allowed the BJP to project itself as being sympathetic to the concerns of voters in Hindi speaking states while leaving Shiv Sena politically exposed.
Another Shiv Sena leader claimed that this was not the first instance of the chief minister overturning decisions taken by Shiv Sena ministers without adequately consulting the party.
“Shiv Sena is a crucial partner in the NDA, so we should be given equal respect and honour. But things are going in a different way,” the leader said.
The leader claimed that Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde had recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and raised concerns over decisions taken by the state government that had either been overruled or cancelled.
According to the leader, Shinde sought greater freedom to take decisions as deputy chief minister and head of the party in Maharashtra in the larger interest of the alliance. Shah, however, advised the allies to resolve local issues through coordination meetings at the state level, the leader claimed.
The controversy has also opened another front for the Mahayuti government, with Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) deciding to protest against the government's decision.
The two parties have accused the state government of compromising the interests of Marathi speakers for political considerations linked to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The allegation that the decision was influenced by the Uttar Pradesh polls remains a political claim and has not been independently established.
