Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar Regrets Pronunciation Errors In Obituary References, Opposition Slams Mistake

Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday expressed regret in the Legislative Assembly over errors committed while reading obituary references in Marathi, a controversy that triggered sharp criticism from the opposition and social media users.

Continuous Compliance

The row erupted after Narwekar made several pronunciation and factual mistakes while reading condolence motions during the Assembly proceedings earlier this week. Among the errors was mistakenly referring to legendary singer Asha Bhosle's father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, as "Deendayal Mangeshkar." The mistakes quickly went viral on social media, drawing criticism over the Speaker's Marathi articulation and handling of a solemn House proceeding.

Addressing the Assembly, Narwekar clarified that the mistakes were unintentional and resulted from technical issues in the document provided to him. He said the printout was faint, carried a very small font size and contained certain errors that had not been noticed initially.

Effective Date

"There were twelve condolence motions that day. The printout handed to me was in a very small and unclear font. Some technical errors in the text also went unnoticed. While reading, the content was read as it appeared, and that mistake occurred inadvertently," Narwekar said.

The issue gained political traction after Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS leaders strongly criticised the Speaker, arguing that the controversy was not limited to obituary references but concerned the dignity of the Marathi language itself. MNS chief Raj Thackeray launched a scathing attack, sarcastically questioning the quality of the document handed to the Speaker and expressing disappointment that no legislator intervened to correct the mistakes.

NPA Exemption

Defending his commitment to Marathi, Narwekar said he has conducted Assembly proceedings and delivered numerous speeches in the language during his four-and-a-half-year tenure as Speaker. "I take immense pride in Marathi, just like every member of this House and every citizen of the state. No one, especially the Speaker, can ever think of disrespecting a revered personality like Asha Tai Bhosle," he said.

"If the sentiments of any citizen, member of this House or anyone in the state have been hurt due to the reading, I sincerely express my regret," Narwekar added.

The controversy was also raised by opposition legislators, with Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ajay Choudhari demanding accountability for the errors in the document supplied to the Speaker.

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