Actor Sanjay Dutt, who spent many years in jail for keeping illegal firearms including an assault rifle, has stepped on a landline with his comments on one of the most emotive issues in Maharashtra – the Marathi language.
Controversy Over Language Use at Dahi Handi Event
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, a member of the Shiv Sena, recently urged actor Sanjay Dutt to speak in Marathi during a Dahi Handi celebration. In response, Dutt humorously remarked, “I spent six years in Yerwada Jail, yet I could not learn Marathi.”
The situation escalated when BJP MLA Mehta criticized the Shiv Sena’s stance on the Marathi language, highlighting a disparity between public expectations and the treatment of ordinary citizens. He stated, “If an actor does not know Marathi, he laughs at it, while on the other hand ordinary autorickshaw drivers are being threatened over the Marathi language.”
Mehta also accused the Sena leader of being ineffective, asserting that Eknath Shinde has not allowed Sarnaik to take any significant actions, labeling him as a “dummy minister.”
If Marathi has received Classical Language status today, the groundwork for it was laid by Prithviraj Chavan,” Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe said. The Congress party entered the scene with allegations that the Sena has been playing politics over the language issue without actually doing anything to promote it. “What has the Shiv Sena done for the development of the language?
