Overview
- Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan outlined the party’s stance a day before voting for the BMC and 28 other civic bodies.
- He described the party’s view of Marathi as broad and plural, focused on promoting language, literature and culture.
- He accused Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS of turning Marathi identity into an election plank, saying politics over language is not constructive.
- He referenced last year’s plan to introduce Hindi from Class I—opposed jointly by those parties and later withdrawn—as context for his critique.
- He asserted BJP stewardship of Marathi through cultural lineage and initiatives, citing inspiration from Ambedkar, Savarkar and Bal Thackeray and crediting the party with classical-language status for Marathi and popular Gudi Padwa processions.