WATCH: Mumbai Auto Drivers Celebrate As Maharashtra CM Fadnavis Gives One-Year Extension To Learn Marathi
· Free Press Journal
Non-Marathi auto-rickshaw drivers in Mumbai broke into celebrations on Friday after the Maharashtra government granted them an additional year to learn Marathi. Drivers were seen dancing and expressing gratitude towards Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, calling the decision a major relief.
The extension comes after representatives of auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers' organisations met Fadnavis and raised concerns about the difficulties many drivers were facing in meeting the Marathi language requirement within the earlier deadline.
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Drivers dance in celebration
Videos from the celebrations showed groups of auto-rickshaw drivers dancing and cheering after the announcement. Many described the extension as an opportunity to learn Marathi without the pressure of having to complete the requirement immediately.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Non-Marathi auto-rickshaw drivers celebrate and express gratitude to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis for the decision to grant them a one-year extension to learn Marathi. The decision comes as a major relief for non-Marathi auto-rickshaw drivers. pic.twitter.com/Gu6yp4Uu2u
— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2026
The government has maintained that people working in Mumbai should have functional knowledge of Marathi. However, driver representatives argued that a large number of non-Marathi-speaking drivers were willing to learn the language but faced difficulties related to access to teachers, certification and other administrative requirements.
BJP Dhadak Kamgar Union leader Abhijit Rane welcomed the decision and said the drivers had never opposed learning Marathi.
Speaking to ANI, Rane said, "I feel that more than 50 per cent of people still had to learn Marathi."
He claimed that representatives had highlighted the challenges faced by drivers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where, according to him, around 3.5 to 4 lakh people drive rickshaws, with the number of drivers rising further because of multiple shifts.
'They want to learn Marathi'
Rane stressed that the extension should not be viewed as an attempt by drivers to avoid the language requirement.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Marathi compulsory for auto, taxi, cab drivers, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "Today, people from the auto drivers' and rickshaw drivers' organizations met with me. They first expressed their support for the idea that functional Marathi should be… pic.twitter.com/NIlPRVFDHn
— ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2026
"All our non-Maharashtrian rickshaw and taxi drivers and owners have a great enthusiasm that they want to learn Marathi, and now they will learn it in a good way," he said.
He also praised Fadnavis for considering their concerns, saying, "Devendra ji is a sensible leader; he understands our hard work, labour and our enthusiasm to learn Marathi. There was no hesitation from our side to learn Marathi. Marathi is a simple language."
Language rule faces legal questions
The one-year grace period comes amid a legal challenge to the Maharashtra government's notification making working knowledge of Marathi compulsory for auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers.
Trinamool Congress leader Majeed Memon welcomed the extension but questioned whether language requirements could affect a person's constitutional right to earn a livelihood.
"Can the right to earn a living be obstructed in the name of language? If someone files a petition, the court will decide," Memon said.
For Mumbai's non-Marathi auto drivers, however, Friday was largely about relief and celebration as they welcomed the extra time to learn the language.