Palghar, Maharashtra: Tensions flared in Palghar district on Thursday as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) activists launched a protest against Gujarati signboards displayed at hotels along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway. The protestors, demanding the mandatory use of Marathi signboards, vandalised boards written in Gujarati in the Haloli village area and warned of further agitation if compliance was not ensured.
According to eyewitnesses, MNS workers entered the premises of two hotels and forcefully damaged the Gujarati-language signage. Meanwhile, other hotel owners in the nearby Charoti area chose to cover their Gujarati boards with black plastic sheets following warnings issued by MNS’s Transport Establishment Wing.
The protest comes in the wake of growing opposition to the imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra’s schools and follows a recent rally by MNS chief Raj Thackeray in Mira Road, where he took a strong stance in defense of the Marathi language.
District president of the MNS’s Transport Establishment Wing, Dnyanesh Patil, stated that businesses have been given a one-week deadline to install Marathi signage. Failure to do so, he warned, would lead to intensified protests, described as “khalkhatyak andolan” (rattling agitation).
Prominent MNS leaders including Sunil Raut, Sandeep Kini, Nishant Dhotre, and Mangesh Gharat participated in the Haloli protest. A separate agitation in the Charoti area was led by Patil himself.
Critics have pointed out that many establishments from Ghodbunder to Achhad, stretching across Palghar district on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad corridor, display signage predominantly in Gujarati, leading to the impression of having entered Gujarat upon crossing into the district. This, MNS argues, undermines the cultural identity of the region and violates state language regulations.
The controversy has also reignited debates about official language enforcement. According to existing Maharashtra state laws, all commercial establishments are required to display their primary signage in Marathi, in a prominent font, regardless of the use of other languages. However, enforcement has been inconsistent, particularly in border areas like Palghar.
Despite the escalating protests, local police claimed they had received no official complaints about the actions of MNS activists. Meanwhile, observers have questioned the inaction of state labor authorities in curbing the spread of non-Marathi signage, and political leaders including Sharad Pawar have previously raised the issue of the “Gujarati-fication” of the highway zone.
As the debate over linguistic identity intensifies, the MNS has once again positioned itself as the torchbearer of Marathi pride, warning of further agitation unless the state government takes definitive steps to ensure compliance with signage laws.
