The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally in Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government, strongly condemned Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on Monday for his remarks about the ‘wari’ pilgrimage to Pandharpur and called for action against him.
NCP chief spokesperson Anand Paranjpe criticised Azmi, calling him a “toxic element” in the state. Azmi had remarked on Sunday that Muslims have never objected to the ‘wari’ tradition, while leaders such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath often oppose namaz being offered on the streets, reported news agency PTI.
His comments drew backlash from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who accused Azmi of creating controversy to gain publicity.
Talking to reporters, Paranjpe said, “Abu Azmi has become a toxic element in Maharashtra, repeatedly making inflammatory statements to disrupt communal harmony. The government must act decisively against him,” reported news agency PTI.
He said Ashadiwari is an 800-year-old tradition.
The NCP leader pointed out that several Muslims offer their services and participate in the `wari`, which sees lakhs of `warkaris` from different parts of the state walking to Pandharpur with `palkhis` of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram.
“Azmi repeatedly uses Hindu-Muslim politics to divide people. His words incite tension, and such behaviour should not be tolerated,” he said, reported PTI.
State Ports Minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane said no one should dare speak about Hindu culture and festivals.
“These people criticise Mahakumbh and `wari`, but these processions don`t happen all year round. Should we raise questions about the Hajj pilgrimage?” he asked, reported PTI.
Hindi should be declared as national language, says Maharashtra SP chief Abu Azmi
Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President Abu Azmi on Tuesday supported the state government`s decision to make Hindi the default third language in schools.
He said Marathi should be the first language, English the second, and Hindi the third. Azmi also said Hindi should be declared the national language.
Speaking to reporters, Abu Azmi said, “Marathi is the first language; people run behind English as they are `slaves`, so it is the second language… I reiterate again and again that the third one should be Hindi. There is a committee in the Parliament that goes across the country to promote Hindi, and all the works of the central government also take place in Hindi. Some people want to play politics… Hindi should 100 per cent be declared as the national language, which should be spoken from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Should I learn Assamese if I go to Assam?”
Earlier on Monday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the final decision regarding the three-language formula will be taken only after discussions with litterateurs, language experts, political leaders, and all other parties concerned.
A meeting on the issue of the three-language formula was held at the Chief Minister`s official residence, Varsha, on Sunday night. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State Dr Pankaj Bhoyar, and officials from the education department were present for it.
After an in-depth discussion on the subject, it was decided to present the status of all states, ensure that Marathi students are not disadvantaged under the Academic Bank of Credit in the context of the new education policy, and explore other possible options. A comprehensive presentation will be made for all stakeholders. It was resolved in the meeting that this presentation and consultation process should be conducted with Marathi language scholars, litterateurs, political leaders, and all relevant parties.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis further stated that a final decision will be made only after this consultation process is completed. Hence, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse will now initiate the next phase of the consultation process.
The Maharashtra government has been criticised twice regarding its language policy. Initially, a government resolution issued on April 16 mandated Hindi as the compulsory third language in Marathi and English-medium schools.
In response to the backlash, the government revised the policy through an amended resolution, stating, “Hindi will be the third language. For those who want to learn another language, at least 20 willing students are required.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
