The state government is working on simplification of the `official Marathi' which is at times nearly incomprehensible, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said here on Saturday.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying for the main centre of the Marathi Bhasha Bhavan on the occasion of Gudhi Padva (Maharashtrian new year), he noted that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was keen on the use of Marathi in his administration. Maharashtrians had to "fight and shed blood" to get Mumbai as capital of their state, Thackeray said, adding, ''Those who forget history have no future."
Many Marathi terms used in the official communication are difficult to understand, the chief minister conceded. "Our government is working on simplifying it....Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj wanted our own language to be the medium of governance," he said. "Knowledge of English is important. I don't hate other languages, but I will not tolerate insult to Marathi. There is no need to hate other languages, but there should not be encroachment by other languages too,'' the chief minister said. Thackeray also stated that his government will not tolerate "atrocities" against the Marathi-speaking population in Karnataka, with which Maharashtra has a long-standing border dispute. The chief minister also said that making the study of Marathi compulsory in schools in the state or mandating Marathi signs for shops and businesses did not amount to atrocity.
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