New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Centre on Thursday decided to grant classical language status to Marathi and four other languages, fulfilling a long standing demand of a large cross-section of the states.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a proposal to grant classical language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali.
“Marathi is India’s pride. Congratulations on this phenomenal language being accorded the status of a Classical Language,” the prime minister said in a post on X.
“This honour acknowledges the rich cultural contribution of Marathi in our nation’s history. Marathi has always been a cornerstone of Indian heritage. I am sure with the status of a Classical Language, many more people will be motivated to learn it,” Modi said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai Regional Congress Committee president Varsha Gaikwad welcomed the Centre’s decision to confer classical language status on Marathi language.
The Classical Language status will lead to creation of significant employment opportunities, particularly in academic and research fields.
Additionally, the preservation, documentation and digitization of ancient texts of these languages will generate jobs in archiving, translation, publishing and digital media, an official statement said.
The Maharashtra government had sent a proposal to the Centre in 2013 seeking classical language status for Marathi.
Shinde said the year-long struggle for classical status for Marathi language has come to fruition.
The Maharashtra government had regularly followed up on the proposal with the Centre from time-to-time, Shinde said and thanked Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Fadnavis said he was happy that the approval of the classical language status to Marathi had come on the first day of the auspicious Navratri festival.
“Many great scholars and academicians cited texts such as Leelacharitra, Dnyaneshwari, Vivek Sindhu to prove the classical origins of Marathi language. I also thank them,” he said.
Gaikwad said the Modi government had not taken a decision for over a decade on the Maharashtra government proposal to grant classical language status to Marathi.
“The people of Maharashtra taught a lesson to the BJP for this hatred towards Marathi in the Lok Sabha elections. This has forced the Centre to take a decision ahead of the assembly elections,” said Gaikwad, who represents Mumbai North Central in the Lok Sabha.
During the inter-ministerial consultations on the draft note for cabinet in 2017 for conferring classical status to the Marathi language, the Home Ministry had advised to revise the criteria and make it stricter.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had also stated that the Home Ministry may conduct an exercise to find out how many other languages are likely to become eligible.
The Maharashtra government led by then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had set up a committee of scholars and experts under academician Rangnath Pathare in 2012 to prepare a comprehensive proposal for granting classical language status to Marathi.
In 2013, the state government submitted a detailed proposal to the Centre on November 16, arguing for Marathi’s recognition based on its antiquity and rich literary tradition.
In 2020, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had urged the Centre for an early grant of classical status to the Marathi language.
In 2020, the MVA government also moved a resolution in the state legislative assembly and the legislative council to urge the Centre to accord classical language status to Marathi. The resolutions were passed unanimously.
In 2021, the then Union Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal told Parliament that the proposal for granting classical language status to Marathi was under active consideration and an eight-member committee was deliberating on the subject.
In 2022, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde wrote a letter to the prime minister, urging him to accord classical status to Marathi language.
Last year, discussions were held between the state and central government officials to address any outstanding queries and reinforce the case for classical language status to Marathi.
In February this year, the Maharashtra government formed a committee headed by former diplomat and author Dnyaneshwar Muley to follow up on the long-pending demand for classical language status for the Marathi language. PTI SKU AS AS
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