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Maharashtra Govt makes Marathi mandatory to get taxi permits | The Congress and Nationalist Congress Party coalition government in Maharashtra on Wednesday passed a resolution which makes it mandatory for the taxi drivers to speak, read and write Marathi to get taxi permits and also that they must have been residing in the state for
15 years. The State Cabinet's decision is likely to have far reaching repercussions
for other states in India, and could trigger similar divisionary and disturbing
decisions. The decision appears to fly in the face of a recent Supreme Court ruling.
In an apparent reference to the recent violence against north Indians in Mumbai,
Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju, in his judgment, said: "India is not an
association or confederation of States. It is a Union of States and there is only
one nationality that is India. Hence every Indian has a right to go anywhere in
India, to settle anywhere and work and do business of his choice in any part of
India, peacefully. We are one nation and must respect each other and should have
tolerance." The apex court bench, which Justice Katju headed, further said: "Since
India is a country of great diversity, it is absolutely essential, if we wish
to keep our country united, to have tolerance and respect for all communities
and sects. It was due to the wisdom of our founding fathers that we have a Constitution
which is secular in character and which caters to the tremendous diversity in
our country." He quoted a couplet from Tiruvallur's Tamil classic Tirukkural,
which says: "That alone can be called a prosperous country which is free from
separatist tendencies and people who harm its sovereignty." The works of Tamil
poets Subramania Bharati and Kaniyan Poonkundranar, as also the Mahabharata, underlined
the need for tolerance in society. The Bench said: "One should not be touchy about
a short restriction when it is being done out of respect for the sentiments of
a particular section of society. The great Emperor Akbar himself used to remain
a vegetarian for a few days every week out of respect for the vegetarian section
of Indian society and out of respect for his Hindu wife. We too should have a
similar respect for the sentiments for others, even if they are a minority sect."
The latest Cabinet decision for taxi permits is bound to affect migrants from
North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as most taxis in Mumbai are being
driven by people from these two states. However, the Maharashtra Chief Minister
Ashok Chavan has clarified that the decision is only for new permits and old ones
won't be affected. It is pertinent to mention that in the recent past migrant
taxi drivers have been targeted by the Maharashtra Navniramna Sena for allegedly
taking up the jobs of locals. |
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