Mumbai: The ongoing Marathi versus Hindi language row in Maharashtra took a fresh turn on Thursday after actress Ketaki Chitale made a controversial statement questioning the pressure on people to speak in Marathi. Her remarks, made in a video posted on her official Instagram account, have stirred public debate and drawn sharp criticism, further intensifying the already sensitive linguistic discourse in the state.
The row has its roots in the recent actions by political parties like MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT), which have strongly advocated the use of Marathi in public spaces. Tensions escalated earlier this week after MNS workers allegedly assaulted a trader in Mira-Bhayandar for not speaking in Marathi. The state government's earlier push for Hindi in the school curriculum under the three-language policy had also sparked protests, leading authorities to roll back the decision and form a review committee.
Ketaki Chitale's Controversial Remarks
In this charged atmosphere, Chitale questioned whether refusing to speak Marathi would cause any actual harm, asking, “Will holes appear if someone doesn’t speak Marathi?” She argued that forcing people to speak the language reflects the insecurities of those demanding it and that no real damage is done if someone opts to speak another language.
Chitale Targets Thackerays
Chitale didn’t stop there. In a pointed attack, she questioned why leaders who advocate for Marathi-medium education often send their children to English or missionary schools.
Referring to the Thackeray family, she asked why the grandchildren of the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray attend a Catholic missionary school where biblical hymns are recited instead of Marathi prayers like ‘Pasaydan’. She accused such leaders of hypocrisy, promoting Marathi for the masses while choosing elite English-medium education for their own children.
Chitale is not new to such controversies involving her comments on political leaders. She had faced arrest in 2022 for allegedly sharing a derogatory post about NCP chief Sharad Pawar on social media. She later got bail.
