News Desk AnyTV, New Delhi
Published by: Shiv Sharan Shukla
Updated Mon, 21 Feb 2022 09:45 PM IST
Summary
Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai on Monday met Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, demanding that Marathi language be given classical language status. During this, he also asked the Union Minister to visit Mumbai.
G Kishan Reddy
– Photo : Lok Sabha
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Expansion
Senior Maharashtra Minister Subhash Desai met Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy in Delhi on Monday. During this, he demanded to give the status of classical language to Marathi by 27 February. During this, he said that if their demand is not met, then agitation can also take place.
Desai, who holds the charge of Industry and Marathi Language Department in Maharashtra, told that Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy told him in this matter that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are in favor of giving classical language status to Marathi. A decision in this regard will be taken soon.
The senior Shiv Sena leader said if the Center decides to accord classical language status to Marathi, there is no better day than February 27 for it. Actually, 27 February is celebrated as the pride of Marathi Day. He said that he had also requested G Kishan Reddy to visit Mumbai.
Significantly, the Maharashtra government has started a campaign to push for the demand of giving classical language status to Marathi. Under this, the state government has sent more than 1.2 lakh postcards to President Ram Nath Kovind. Subhash Desai warned that the people of the state had become aware of the campaign and if Marathi was not given classical language status soon, they would be disillusioned and this could lead to agitation.
On this occasion, Subhash Desai took a dig at former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and said that the BJP leader had given the status of classical language to Marathi while in office, but now he is silent in this matter. Desai said that he had appealed to former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to meet the Prime Minister and talk to him to ensure the classical language status to Marathi, but nowadays he is busy with elections in various states.
Desai said so far only six Indian languages Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia have been recognized as classical languages. Despite this, Marathi was constantly ignored.
The Maharashtra government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of litterateur Ranganath Pathare. This committee had prepared a detailed report for the criteria for granting the status of a classical language citing evidences about the antiquity, originality and continuity of Marathi language and literary traditions. Desai said a proposal to this effect was unanimously approved seven years ago by a high-level committee of language experts appointed by the Centre, but no further progress has been made in the matter. The Maharashtra Legislature had also passed a unanimous resolution to recommend to the Center for granting classical language status to Marathi in 2020.