In a strong defense of the Marathi language and identity, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshvardhan Sapkal declared that "all people in Maharashtra are Marathi" and warned against any attempts to undermine the language. He was speaking at the Congress-organised Marathi language workshop titled “We are Marathi, We are Indian,” held in Mira-Bhayandar on Monday.
Sapkal clarified that the Congress Party is not against the Hindi language but firmly opposes the forced imposition of a third language in schools. "Marathi is not just a language, it is a culture, an identity, and the soul of Maharashtra. We won’t resort to violence but will teach and preserve Marathi. If anyone tries to hurt Marathi, we will not stay silent,” Sapkal warned.
The event witnessed participation from thousands of Marathi language supporters and senior Congress leaders, including working president Muzaffar Hussain, vice president (organization and administration) Adv. Ganesh Patil, Bhavana Jain, Ramesh Shetty, Marathi Language Cell head Dr. Deepak Pawar, and district president Pramod Sawant.
Criticizing the ideological push behind Hindi imposition, Sapkal said, “The forced promotion of Hindi stems from the RSS ideology reflected in M.S. Golwalkar’s Bunch of Thoughts. BJP and RSS do not respect the Constitution. They want 'One Nation, One Election, One Language'—a concept that threatens India's diversity and is rooted in the idea of Hindi, Hindutva, and Hindu Rashtra.”
Explaining the reason for holding the event in Mira Road, Sapkal said the Congress Party believes in standing firm on its values. “We are here to send a clear message – we are Marathi, we are Indian. While arrogance in refusing to speak Marathi is wrong, violence in response is equally unacceptable,” he said.
He warned that the compulsory imposition of Hindi in education will damage the learning environment and could potentially lead to the dilution or removal of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education.
Congress working president Muzaffar Hussain accused the BJP of reviving divisive issues such as caste, region, and language now that the Ram Mandir issue has faded. “While public assets built over decades are being sold, the BJP is using language politics to distract the public from core issues,” he said. He added that Maharashtra has always welcomed people from other states without discrimination, but the BJP is deliberately fueling language-based tension for political benefit.
Dr. Deepak Pawar, head of the party’s Marathi Language Cell, pointed out that while the protest was against the imposition of a third language, the state government tried to project it as an anti-Hindi movement. “Though two controversial government resolutions have been withdrawn, the state has formed a committee under Dr. Narendra Jadhav. Regardless of what the committee recommends, Congress will continue to oppose forced third-language policies,” Pawar said.
He warned that teaching Hindi compulsorily from Grade 1 could reduce Marathi to a secondary status. “Loving Maharashtra and preserving Marathi is our collective responsibility. The recent silence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Mumbai and his increasing focus on MMRDA, where North Indian populations are higher, indicates a dangerous trend. There is even a risk of MMRDA being turned into a separate state in the long run,” he cautioned.
