Hindi should not be imposed: AIMIM leader Waris Pathan on language row in Maharashtra

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing controversy over Hindi in Maharashtra, AIMIM leader and former MLA Waris Pathan has said that the North Indian language should not be imposed.

On the political buzz surrounding a possible reunion of the Thackeray brothers, he remarked that they should talk about the urban mismanagement and a rise in corruption ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, due after a seven-year gap

Speaking to IANS in Maharashtra on Friday, Pathan said he welcomed the idea of the Thackeray brothers uniting, adding, “What problem would I have if they come together? There was a time, two decades ago, when they were united. Now, with BMC elections approaching, they should come together and speak on real issues like rising corruption in Mumbai, potholes and urban mismanagement.”

He also addressed the recent language controversy triggered by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray’s protests against the growing use of Hindi in Maharashtra.

While asserting his own multilingual abilities, he said, “I speak Hindi, English, Marathi and Gujarati”, emphasising that language should never be a source of division. “English is a universal language. Marathi is our local language, and I use it daily as a practising lawyer. Hindi is our national language, spoken across the country,” he said.

Pathan criticised BJP leaders for allegedly stoking language chauvinism. “They say they will wipe out English, but in a democracy, you can’t force people to speak only one language. If I go to Tamil Nadu and don’t know Tamil, people won’t beat me. Learn every language, but don’t impose any.”

Turning his guns on the BJP, Pathan accused the party of using religion to polarise voters. “Every time elections come, they start Hindu-Muslim rhetoric. They want 90 per cent of Muslim votes but stay silent when mob lynchings happen or when innocent Muslims are jailed. People with beards and Muslim caps are discriminated against. This is sheer hypocrisy,” he alleged.

Pathan’s remarks come at a time when political temperatures in Mumbai are rising, with regional identity, language politics and civic issues taking centre stage ahead of the crucial BMC polls.

IANS